


Tales From The Hunt

by Gameguy1992



Category: Original Work
Genre: Battle, Demons, Fantasy, Gay Romance, Kidnapping, M/M, Magic, Monsters, Smut, Swords, Wolves, midevil fantasy, older male character, younger male character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:17:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 46,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24272689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gameguy1992/pseuds/Gameguy1992
Summary: Roman is a hunter; a member of a select group of warriors sworn to protect and fight the wild and dangerous monsters that roam the lands of Avamor. Nicholas is his young, stalward and infatuated companion. While on a trip to a small and remote fishing village, they stumble onto a conspiracy involving kidnapping, human sacrifice and demon worship. All the while struggling with their own issues of lack of coin and their budding romantic relationship. Can our heroes overcome their trials and solve the conspiracy that threatens to swallow them up? Or will they fall prey to what lurks beneath the waters of this sea side village?
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hey folks.  
> a few yars ago i wrote this as an attempt to write a novel.  
> not really sure hy im positng it but...  
> lemme know what you think

In front of them, the walls of the village jutted up from the ground; a stark contrast to the thick grasses that grew around them. High above them the afternoon sun shown down, basking the land in a warmth that would have been not unpleasant were it not for the upward hike they’d been on for the last several hours. Glancing sideways at his companion, Nicholas paused for a moment, allowing himself to enjoy the sight that met his eyes. The trek they’d been on had been several hours long, and nearly constantly uphill. As a result, both his and Roman’s tunics had become soaked with sweat until Roman had uttered the idea and they’d stripped off their tunics before continuing along the mountain trail.

Despite this Roman had elected to keep a portion of his armor on, the simple metal guard for his shoulder and left arm glinting slightly in the sunlight as they had continued; while the rest of Roman’s leather chest guard had been stowed in his pack. As a result Roman’s muscular and well defined chest was now perfectly displayed, his muscles rippling slightly under his tanned skin as they continued towards the walled village. For Nicholas walking without a shirt meant a chance for his slightly pale skin to darken, an opportunity he was rarely given. Unlike Roman he’d removed his armor as well, safely stowing the leather chest guard he normally wore, instead electing to wear only the leather strappings required to carry his bow and traveler’s pack.

But he’d taken the stripping a step further than Roman; electing to strip off his pants as well and to instead make the rest of the travel in lowly cut shorts he normally wore when sleeping. The reason for this had been two fold. One, so that the coloring of his legs might hopefully better match his chest. And second to catch Roman’s eye, something he’d noticed Roman doing on several occasions; an act that still made small butterflies swarm in his stomach.

But a voice drew his attention from his thoughts. Instead pulling it towards the village’s gate that they were quickly approaching and the merchant stalls that had been set up around it. On either side of the road merchants had set up stalls and booths and now spent their time calling to the passersby hoping to entice one of them with their wares. As they approached the stalls, Nicholas’s eyes wandered. The merchants assembled here sold a variety of goods. He could see merchants selling jewelry, no doubt made from the resource rich mountains the town was located in. Still others sold clothing, tunics and pants made of thin materials, no doubt better for this coastal mountainous climate than the clothes he and Roman normally wore. Other sold food; the sights of fresh fish, vegetables and even fruits making Nicholas’s stomach growl in want.

As they passed by these stalls Nicholas’s eyes lingered longer than usual, the temptation to stop and buy a loaf of bread or a freshly plucked apple almost overwhelming; a result of having eaten preserved meat and dried fruits for the last several days. Yet he resisted, their purse was light enough as it was without him buying the displayed food. As it was, they would need to find another contract soon or risk being complete broke. His stomach growled again in protest as he looked away. He could go a while longer on the preserved food they traveled with; it wasn’t like they’d never been in this situation before.

Contracts had been sparse lately; the king’s soldiers had become more vigilant than usual, no longer contracting out to slay the monsters that plagued the road but instead taking the duty and responsibility upon themselves. And while this had led to a decrease in attacks on merchant and travelers, it had the unfortunate result of putting professional hunters on a stricter budget, forcing them to take what few contracts they could get and work them for less coin than they would usually charge. Again Nicholas’s stomach growled, this time a bit more insistently as the wafting scent of freshly baked breads made his legs wobble slightly. Biting his lip he steeled himself, if he became desperate he could come back here, slip in unseen amongst the crowd of passers, pinch an apple or a few bits of bread for himself and Roman; a well-placed use of the skills he’d learned in his former life.

But for now he kept his eyes straight as they approached the entrance to the village. Roman had told him a bit about this place. The map called this place Karnokus, a small fishing village nestled here in the mountains. Roman had said the village was small but friendly, its weather nearly always pleasant with a small breeze and warm sunlight bathing them for almost every hour of the day. In truth the village was for the most part almost unnoteworthy; having produced no great heroes or tales of monster attacks, in fact most people would not have made the long trek up the mountain were in not for the oddly rich bounty of fish that seemed to dwell in the shores and oceans around the village. Indeed those waters and fish had helped put the village on the map as much of the fish sold in the nearby kingdoms came from this village. Many of the merchant told stories, tales of how other fish rotted and spoiled within a week or so, but fish taken from the waters near this village lasted for weeks sometimes months longer.

Passing through the large stone gate Nicholas could not help but note the sets of guards standing on either side of the gate; their armor emblazoned with-

But a split second later his attention was ripped away from the guards as he felt something with a vice like grip grab his wrist and pulling at him harshly. Out of reflex his hand moved, slipping down to the daggers he kept strapped to his hips, while at the same time spinning around to meet his attack; an elderly and aged woman who continued to tug at his wrist harshly. “Have you seen a boy?!”

Nicholas blinked, his body freezing and his brain struggled to understand that he wasn’t under attack. Again the woman tugged his wrist insistently. “A boy?! Tall, brown hair, with a voice like an angel. Have you seen him?! Tell me!”

Nicholas blinked again, his brain snapping back into motion as he worked to free himself from the woman’s iron tight grip. “N-no. We’ve seen no such boy in out travels.”

The woman jerked his wrist again. “Please! He wears a jade pendant of the sun. You must have seen him. Please tell me where he’s gone!”

This time when Nicholas opened his mouth to speak, he found himself cut off, not by the panicked and nearly hysterical elderly woman but instead by a deep calming voice. “My lady, we’ve seen no such boy or man in our travels.” Turning slightly Nicholas found that Roman had come up behind him; his shoulder length black hair standing out in contrast against the endless blue sky. A moment later Nicholas felt an almost involuntary shiver ripple through his body as Roman’s hand came to rest on his shoulder. “Ma’am, please release my companion. We’re quite weary from our travels and wish to find a place to rest.”

A moment later the woman released his wrist, allowing him to pull away. All the while the look of panic on the woman’s face never left. But they were spared more questions from her as the lady spotted a new group of travelers, rushing towards them and asking more questions about the boy she was seeking. Looking back at Roman Nicholas blushed slightly as he found Roman’s soft brown eyes looking at him. Nervously he bit his lip, the urge to lean in kiss Roman growing in his stomach. But Roman broke the look a moment later, “come, let’s find an inn to rest at.”

Sighing softly, Nicholas nodded and following Roman back onto the path they’d been on as they passed through the gates of the village. As they moved through the village, Nicholas could see signs of a celebration starting. In the middle of the village, a large area had been cleared to make room for a simple wooden stage made of loosely fitted together planks of wood. 4 wooden totem poles had been setup on each of the stage corners, scenes of fishing and sailing depicted along the totems surfaces. But he had no time to look on further as he and Roman hurried towards a large stone building with a sign in front sailing ‘The Guttered Gull Inn’.

As Roman pushed open the front door to the inn, the sounds and smells from inside rushed forward to meet them. Following Roman into the building Nicholas could smell sweat, no doubt emanating from the dozen or so burly and muscular men that were already inside the bar area. Next came the smell of cooking, some kind of stew or soup, mixed with some spices from meat perhaps? Then came the sound, laughing, drinking, swearing, and mixed in with it all the soft melody of a lute; played by a bard who sat in the corner of the room, absentmindedly playing his instrument.

After a moment the man behind the bar; a tall hulking brute of a man with messy short red hair, took notice of them, waving them over. “Greetings travelers. Come in, Sit a spell. Can I interest you in an ale or brandy to ease the trek?”

As the bar man spoke, he gestured to the display of bottles on shelves behind him. Roman shook his head, instead choosing to lean against the bar and speak. “A room for the night would be more welcome.”

The bar man nodded and smiled, gesturing instead to a staircase that hugged the far wall and led up to a hallway. “We have a few rooms still, though they go fast this time of year what with the festival upcoming.”

Roman nodded. “How much for a night?”

It was only from his training that Nicholas noticed the hesitation; the smallest pause, a heartbeat longer than was needed as the bar man looked them up and down, no doubt sizing them up to try and see how much extra he could charge them. After a second the man spoke. “35 Kop for a night.”

At the man’s words Nicholas did his best not to seem shocked; the price was outrageous. 35 Kop could buy several nights at an inn in the larger cities. If Roman was shocked by the price, he gave no indication. Instead, remaining silent for a moment as he pretended to look at the bottles that lined the walls of the bar. After a few moments he spoke. “I confess my companion and I are a bit light on coin. And 35 Kop would make it impossible for us to spend any money on food or other services while in town. I wonder………would 12 Kop be agreeable? That way me might still purchase some food and drink for dinner?”

The bar man’s eyes narrowed, and for a moment Nicholas worried Roman might have overplayed their lack of funds. True, it had worked in the past; but just as often as not it got them throw out the inn they were trying to stay at. But the worry passed as the bar man sighed and nodded. “Aye, 12 Kop will do. But you pay up front, and I’ll not allow you to bring ‘guests’ for the night.”

Roman smiled, and nodded. “Agreed.”

A moment later Roman passed the man his coins, an act which the man responded to by passing Roman a small key for the room. “Rooms at the end of the hallway. Dinner starts at 7 th candle. You want to use the towns other services I suggest you do quickly. Many will shut down early due to the festival starting tomorrow.”

Roman nodded. “Thank you. I wonder though… My companion and I are Hunters, we came here to rest and relax; but our lack of funds makes that difficult. I wonder if you know of any beasts or pests that need slaying. Or a way we might earn a little coin during our stay.”

The bar man paused, again looking them up and down for a moment. “We have a few pests, but nothing worthy of Hunters. And certainly nothing you’d be willing to stoop to.”

This time Roman shook his head. “I think you underestimate our stance. We’ll take any work we can be given; provided it’s honest and wholesome.”

The bar man nodded again, a small smile twitching the corners of his mouth. “Fair enough. Supposes times are such that no one can be to choosy with their work.”

Roman nodded in agreement but remained silent, allowing the man to continue. “We’re known for our fish here. Not much else in the way of fame, we still must import much of what we need from the outside. A few years ago, the Nacot family setup a little farm here on account of us not using the land to much. Nothing of major note, but in exchange for not being charged taxes on their land they raise a group of lambs and ewes for wool to make our clothes; which they sell to us at a considerable discount. Recently a pack of wolves have moved in and have started stalking the herd. No attacks yet, but it’s only a matter of time. If you were to Talk to the Nacot family, I’m sure I price could be worked out. That’s the best I can do for you.”

Roman nodded, smiling at the bar man. “Thank you sir. We’ll go to our room now.”

The bar man nodded, turning his attention back to his patrons who’s glasses had become emptied during the talk. Turning away from the bar Nicholas repressed the urge to delve into the bar patron’s pockets and instead followed Roman through the bar and up the stairs and to their room.

As Roman pushed the door to the room open, Nicholas took a moment; taking in the sparsely decorated room. Again he could not help but roll his eyes at the bar man’s original price. For 15 Kop they could get a rather fancy room at a middle end inn or hotel in the city. This room was far from that type of luxury. The room itself was only moderate in size, in the middle of the far wall, situated under a window was the bed, covered in simple linens with a few blankets folded next to it in case they wanted then. A small table and chair was set up in the corner and at the foot of the bed was a trunk in case they wished to stow and lock any of their belongings.

Not wasting any time Nicholas headed straight for the bed, allowing his pack to fall with an unceremonious ‘thud' before dropping himself onto the bed. It felt impossibly good to lie down on a bed, even if it was an old and slightly worn mattress. Sleeping in a tent under the stars might have been a good way to save money during their travels but more often than not it left him feeling stiff and tense. After several moments the sounds of Roman’s gear hitting the floor met his ears, and a few moments later the bed sank a little lower as Roman sat down on the bed.

Groaning slight at the effort Nicholas rolled sideways looking up at Roman, who had sat down and allowed his eyes to drift closed for a moment. From this angle he could see Roman’s back and arms. Several scars marred the smooth skin and muscle, but somehow it only to Roman’s appeal, making him seem rugged while at the same time adding a sense of danger to him. After a few moments Roman sighed before slowly getting back to his feet. Nicholas watched as Roman dug around in his pack for a moment before producing a folded tunic which he quickly donned, cutting off the view of his chiseled and muscular chest, making Nicholas whine slightly in protest.

Roman chuckled, turning to look at him. “None of that boy. We have work to do. We have to see that family about the wolves and settle on a price.”

In response to Roman’s word Nicholas only stuck out his tongue before allowing himself to lay back on his stomach and enjoy the mattress again. He knew what Roman had said was true. After all they’d just spent 12 of their last 20 Kop, so they truly did need to earn more. But at the same time…..

Suddenly Nicholas’s eyes flew open as a new sensation washed through him; a feeling of pressure pressing down on his body. Unconsciously he shuddered, the smell of Roman’s body filling his nostrils. A moment later he whimpered, shuddering again as he felt Roman’s soft breath tickle the side of his head just below his ear. A moment he bit his lip, a deep shuddering whimper slipping his lips as he felt Roman pin his arms to the mattress with one hand, while the slipped under his body to gently rub his chest.

“Such impure thoughts. I’m shocked boy; then again, youth does crave…..excitement.”

As he spoke Roman’s hand dipped a little lower, coming to stroke Nicholas’s abdomen, an act that made Nicholas grown his body began to respond to the Roman’s attention. Roman only chuckled, “I'll make you a deal. Let us split up, you to see if the village has a healer and a smith capable of repairing our gear and me to inquire about the wolf problem. Then when we are finished we might meet back here and…….”

Nicholas groaned, instead his back arching up to press against Roman’s chest while his butt pressed firmly against Roman’s hips. He opened his mouth, hoping to use his guile and convince Roman to stay here with him but a moment later his words died in his throat as Roman gave his behind a firm swat. “Control your desire Nicholas. There is work to be done before we can ‘play’.”

Roman’s words were firm and stern, leaving no room for argument yet his hand drifted lower, making Nicholas gasp and moan as Roman’s strong grip pressed against his rapidly growing organ. Again Roman chuckled, a deep rumbling chuckle that told Nicholas he was a toy to Roman at this exact moment. A second later Nicholas cried out a loud frustrated wanting cry as he felt Roman’s weight leave his body. From Above him Roman spoke. “Better hurry boy. Don’t keep me waiting.”

A moment later the sound of the door to their room met Nicholas’s ears, a signal that Roman had slipped out and left him with a rather embarrassing problem to be taken care of.

\--------

Making his way through the streets Roman could not help but feel a little guilty. He was not so old that he didn’t remember what it was like. To be young and with someone attractive, to want to be with them as much as possible. No, he understood those feelings. He’d felt them before, and admittedly he had begun to feel them again recently.

Somehow the young boy had brought something back out of him. Some inner desire he'd long since thought buried or extinguished. It wasn't that he shunned these feelings, but he'd found that in his line of work as a hunter those emotions caused problems. Sometimes those problems came from humans, wanting to protect him or keep him from harm. While other times the very monsters he hunted could twist and warp those feelings; using them as effectively as any blade or spell.

So for a long time he’d maintained a position of emotional detachment when it came to people and relationships. He had friends, many of them fellow hunters, he had lovers but he went to great lengths to make sure his lovers understood that nothing they said or do could make him stay if and when his skills were needed.

Yet he could still recall the night he’d met Nicholas with such clarity. He could still clearly see in his mind's eye, the form of Nicholas; his back hunched into a squatting crouch as he dug silently through Roman’s pack. He could remember sneaking up on the boy, tackling him to the ground, wrestling with him. He could remember so clearly the look of shock and fear on the boy’s face as he’d been hit with a blow to his pressure points, disabling him and making him pass out. And he could remember afterwards, ‘interrogating’ the boy to find out if he’d been sent by a personal enemy or an enemy of the order.

But he pushed those thoughts from his mind as he made his way back down the stairs and into the bar. A few more people had come inside now, the bar was a bit livelier, and with the bard in the corner playing a more upbeat a cheerful tune as Roman moved through the crowd and back to the bar where he drew the barman’s attention with a whistle. The bar man looked at him, finishing the drink he was pouring before coming over to talk.

“Aye?”

Roman smiled. “Going to meet with the family about their wolf problem, where might I find their home?”

The barman jerked his head, half gesturing with his hand. “Top of the hill, the house with the stables. They’re the only ones who have them.”

Nodding in thanks Roman pushed away from the bar, making his way back through the ever growing crowd in the bar before exiting the inn and stepping out into the afternoon sun that bathed the village. For a moment he stood there, his trained eyes taking in the village. It was a pretty typical layout. He was near the village center, where the large stage had been set up for the upcoming festival. Along the sound of the village center were shops and inns, no doubt where most tourists and travelers spent their time. Further beyond were the residences, their stone huts and houses overlooking the village square.

Turning to look up the side of the mountain Roman could just make out the sight of a house that was a bit larger and more extravagant than the others, no doubt the house of the Nacot family he was searching for. In the back of his mind he groaned a little, the afternoon sun was beating down on him, making him sweat even as he just stood there. But now he'd have to hike and follow the streets up the side of the village if he wanted to speak to this family about a contract. For a moment he toyed with the idea of turning around, going back to the room, grabbing Nicholas and performing every perverted and illicit act the boy could think of

But this thought ended almost a moment later as his stomach grumbled slightly with hunger. Sighing to himself he began to move, following the streets and making his way to the Nacot family’s dwelling

\--------------

Descending the stairs Nicholas slowed slightly; making sure the bag he carried was secure and safe as he allowed his eyes to roam the bar. More people had come in now, no doubt to escape the afternoon sun with a flagon of ale or mead. He could see over a dozen people in the bar now, laughing, joking and calling to one another while the bard played a much more upbeat song which had inspired a few patrons to start dancing. If he wanted to it would have been easy.

He could simply slip into the crowd, using the density of bodies as cover as he riffled through the patron’s pockets. It was something he used to do all the time, although he’d not done it as often since meeting Roman. Then again the lightness of their purse was certainly motivated enough. Even if he didn’t find a lot of coin, every little bit would help. Nevertheless he continued on his way, leaving the bar and resisting the urge to fall into his old habits. He’d wait, see how much coin he’d be able to sell the bits and baubles he and Roman had picked up in their travels if he could get enough… then maybe the people’s purses would safe for the time being.

Walking through the village square Nicholas struggled slightly with the feeling of familiarity that washed through him. He grown up in a village like this, spent his whole life thinking the village and the people in it were the entire world. He’d played with the village children, learned from the village elders even started to learn a trade so he could make a living when the time came. But then……

Shaking his head Nicholas did his best to rid his mind of the memories. They wouldn't do him any good now, he needed to focus. Clutching the small bag of baubles and ends he moved, making his way towards a shop with a large sign in front reading ‘The Picky Pixie’.

Pushing open the door to the shop, he was instantly greeted with the sights of shelves stacked to the ceiling with items. Moving into the shop Nicholas's eyes roamed the shelves, noting a few items of interest including a set of steel daggers, a bow made of pine, a cloak made of wolf hide and even a large two handed greatsword that was leaned against the wall. But he didn’t stay long to admire the objects, instead making his way to the counter at the back end of the shop.

As he approached the shop owner, a slim slightly pale man with short brown hair; emerged from a backroom carrying several small boxes which he set down behind the counter before turning to look at him. “Welcome to the Picky Pixie where we’ll pick anything for the right price. Are you buying or selling?”

Bringing the bag he was carrying up to the counter Nicholas responded. “Selling, if that’s alright.”

The man nodded digging into a pocket of his jacket for a moment before producing a pair of small spectacles which he quickly donned before smiling. “Of course, so long as the price is right.”

Smiling in response Nicholas opened the bag he carried before setting it down on the counter and starting to withdraw the items he was looking to sell. Sadly they hadn't come across anything of significant value in their recent travels. On the trek up here they'd found a few stones and crystals, nothing super valuable but still worth pickup and bringing with them. Another time they'd come across an abandoned traveler’s cart, left on the side of the road due to it axle being broken. The cart itself had been cleared of whatever cargo it had once carried. But nearby they'd found a few items of note; a simple brass ring, a locket and a pouch of collected beads. No doubt items dropped as the cart owner had struggled to continue on.

The merchant looked over each item, nodding slowly at items he liked while frowning at others with disinterest. Letting out a soft “oh.” as Nicholas produced a large garnet they'd found only the day before. Producing the final item, a length of spooled wire they'd found in an old camp site; Nicholas fell silent allowing the man to examine the stoned a bit more closely. After a few minutes the man looked up from the array of items and spoke. “You have a few items of note here. I’ll give you…….10 Kop for it all.”

Nicholas raised an eyebrow. The garnet alone was worth that. “With the festival coming up you'll have more customers than you usually would. I have no doubt you'll sell the stones to a jeweler or a child who likes the look of them. And the wire will surely sell to a boat looking to have it in case of repairs. I think 20 is more than fair.”

The shop owner fell silent; his eyes narrowing as they darted back down to the items Nicholas had set out. Nicholas too remained silent, watching as the man chewed the inside of his lip in thought. He knew better than to interrupt the merchant in this moment, so he remained silent waiting for his response. After a minute more the merchant looked back up at him. “17 kop and not a single one more.”

Nodding in agreement Nicholas held out his hand, allowing the merchant to take it in a firm handshake before turning away to gather up the payment for the items. For a moment Nicholas wondered if he could snatch one of the smaller stoned back without being noticed. It certainly wasn't something the merchant would miss. As it was the price they'd settled on was pretty low, but with their funds being as limited as they were and the pressing need to make coin quickly before the shops shut down for the next few days for the festival; he hadn't had much strength from a bargaining position.

Taking the chance Nicholas moved, making it appear as though he was pushing the newly sold items away from his bag. Unseen though his hand dipped down, taking one of the smaller opals into his palm and quickly dropping it into the bag; while making it seem like he was just fastening the clasp. If the merchant noted his action he gave no indication, continuing to gather up the agreed coin before turning back to face him with the coin in hand.

Taking the coins from the man Nicholas smiled. “Thanks.”

The man nodded curtly before taking the items he’d just purchased. As he did so he spoke with a casual tone. “Feel free to browse my wares. I have some nice daggers that could replace those… meager looking cutters you have now.”

Nicholas felt himself flair and bristle slightly at the man’s comments. True his daggers were nothing fancy, simple wooden hilts with steel double side’s blades. He liked the style; they were well balanced and perfect for close quarters. Choosing to remain calm rather than get mad he chose to instead pocket the coins he'd been given. “No thanks. I’d rather have blades that work, rather than just look fancy.”

The shop owner shrugged, his lips pursing into a slightly arrogant smile. “So be it.”

Leaving the shop Nicholas took a moment to compose himself, making sure the coin he’d gotten was well and secured before making his way through the streets. All around him the setting sun was starting to cast shadows all the while making the shadows cast by objects look long and monstrous. Somewhere in the distance he could hear bells ringing, no doubt the local church signaling the time of day. To his right he watched as children ran and played, giggling and yelling as they kicked and chased a ball of rubber in the streets.

It was hard to imagine that not too long ago he'd been one of those kids. That there had been a time when he'd lived in a village like this and lived a life so very different from the one he was living now. Still though, he was happy with the life he had now. Even if money was a constant struggle he found it an adventure to find ways to keep their purse full. Other things were infinitely better than his old life, even better than the few months he’s spent as a thief. He was free now, free from the expectations of his family and of his old position. He could be who he wanted without fear of Roman thinking him sick or perverted; a kind of freedom he’d not had when he was a kid.

He’d been lucky to find someone like Roman. He could have just as easily tried to rob another man that night. Another man might have run him through with the very sword he’d been trying to steal, or slit his throat as he’d laid unconscious, or a hundred other horrible things. Instead…...Roman had interrogated him in a way that was FAR from unpleasant. And even afterwards, rather than turning him into the guards or sending him away; Roman had showed kindness, offering him a place of purpose if he'd wanted it. And although Roman had repeatedly said he would not train him to become a hunter he still did not object to Nicholas traveling with him. But there was more to it than that. Roman was kind and caring, he showed compassion even mercy when they were forced to fight humans, despite the seemingly effortlessness it took for him to kill monsters.

Traveling with Roman held a kind of freedom about it. He could stare at Roman, admiring the older nearly flawless body and physique without fear or worrying that he'd get caught. But Roman’s understanding went even further. Roman had never scolded him for using his skills. Never chastised him when he pinched some coins or acquired items they needed using less than legal means. It was as if Roman didn’t care. As if-

A second later he was ripped from his thoughts, his hand plunging towards his daggers as he felt something latch onto his other wrist. Spinning around to face his attack Nicholas felt his eye twitch in anger as he again found that he was not under attack, merely being accosted by the same elderly woman from before. “Have you seen my son?”

Rolling his eyes Nicholas tried to pull free. Frowning in frustration as he found that she would not let him go, her voice becoming louder and shriller as she repeated her question. “HAVE YOU SEEN MY SON?!”

Continuing to struggle against the woman’s grip Nicholas responded, hoping his answer would make her let go of him. “We told you before, NO. Now let go.”

But the woman didn't let go, her voice continuing to sound panicked as he tugged at his wrist insistently. “YOU MUST HAVE SEEN HIM! YOU MU-”

Nicholas had had enough. Growling in anger his hand dipped down, tugging one of the daggers he carried from its scabbard before holding it between them. “Let go now, or else.” as he spoke he flicked the blade, making it whistle softly through the air. His threat had the desired effect, the woman released his arm; taking several steps back from him but still speaking in her half shouting panicked. “Please! You must-"

He didn’t stay to hear her plea, instead resheathing his dagger before angrily storming past the raving woman, making his way back to the inn he and Roman were staying at. High above him the afternoon sun was starting to set now. The shadows that had been grown and enlarged by the dying sunlight were almost gone now, instead replaced by a creeping darkness that brought with it a seeping chill that made Nicholas shiver slightly as he stepped through the doors of the inn. The bar was packed now. Almost every chair, stool and stable was filled with a body. Still more people were filling the floor, dancing and laughing as the bard played a quick tune with many swings and swoops in tempo.

Pushing his way through the bodies Nicholas remained good, keeping his hands to himself as he squeezed and ducked between the gaps in the bodies until he was able to make it to the stairs that led up to the rooms. Making his way down the corridor Nicholas pushed open the door to his and Roman’s room. The room was dark, with the only light coming from the window above the bed which allowed the quickly fading yellow tinged light of the setting sun to peek through. For a moment Nicholas thought he might be alone, but that thought ended as Roman’s voice met his ears. “You’re back.”

As his eyes adjusted to the room, Nicholas took in a soft inhale of breath. Roman was laid out on the bed, having removed his tunic and pants. The rapidly growing glow of the moonlight slowly bathing his body in silvery white light. Nicholas’s eyes roved that body, drinking in the dark tan color of his skin, the small lattes work of scars and the sizable bulge that was displayed behind his underwear.

As he stood there in silence Roman spoke, his voice low and husky, with an air of command in it. “Come here Nicholas.” Roman patted the bed next to him. “NOW.”

Nicholas felt a shudder ripple through his body at Roman’s tone. He knew that tone, he knew what it meant and he knew exactly what was about to happen. His heartbeat quickened and he quickly joined Roman. He barely touched the mattress before he felt Roman on him, his strong muscular hands going to pin his wrists just like they’d done before. A second later Roman’s free hand drifted down to the hemline of Nicholas’s shirt, toying with it for a moment before slipping under so as to run along his stomach and chest. Unconsciously Nicholas let out a soft moan, Roman’s touch felt magical, leaving what felt like little trails of fire along his skin as his hand drifted and wandered under his shirt. He whimpered, up at his ‘captor’ seeing the look of smug satisfaction flicker across Roman’s face. 

Weakly he struggled against Roman’s grip, an act that made Roman smile wider as Nicholas found that unsurprisingly he was no match for Roman’s much more muscular and tough physique. For a moment Roman looked away, busying himself with something just above Nicholas’s head. This time a louder whimper escaped Nicholas's lips, as he felt something firm and secure wrap around his pinned wrists binding him in place. He arched his back slightly, trying to see what Roman was doing; finding that Roman had used his belt and had tied his wrists together before tying the other end of the belt to the bedpost effectively restraining his arm so that his wrists no longer needed to be held and were instead secured above his head.

The feeling of being trapped, of being unable to use his arm sent a jolt of energy through his body; which quickly reacted, his heart rate jumping while his breathing became shorter more panicked. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Roman but…

Suddenly all thought left Nicholas's mind as Roman leaned in capturing his lips in a deep and aggressive kiss, his tongue flicking out of his mouth, not asking for permission but simply forcing its way into and claiming Nicholas’s mouth. at the same time Nicholas moaned as he felt Roman move, his now free hand moving behind his head, pulling him firmly into the kiss and serving to show him that the kiss wouldn’t end until he, Roman; decided it would. He struggled to breath; his lungs filled with Roman’s musky sweaty smell that made him shudder and shake, even as his lungs started to burn from need of air. Slowly Roman moved, shifting from his spot half laying sideways on the bed until he was straddling Nicholas’s hips above him; still maintaining the kiss. 

Nicholas shuddered as the kiss continued. He could feel it, inside his mouth; Roman’s tongue dancing around, brushing and rubbing and claiming every inch of his mouth as his own. His own tongue fought back, half trying to keep the contact and half trying to push Roman’s tongue back out, a feat he failed miserably at as Roman made it very clear he was in charge. 

Suddenly Roman pulled away, breaking the kiss so suddenly that Nicholas felt his tongue leave his mouth, half pulled along by Roman’s sudden retreat leaving only a thin strand of saliva hanging between them. He was in a daze, partially from lack of oxygen and partially from lust; as if to prove his point his still captive organ throbbed almost painfully. Above him, Roman looked down, a faint smirk covering the old man’s face. He watched as Nicholas squirmed and whimpered beneath him, his body craving more. “So needy little one.”

A second later Nicholas jerked, his whole body tensing and spasming slightly as Roman’s hand moved, brushing against the growing bulge in his trousers. Roman smiled, noting the loud wanting whimper that escaped the boy’s lips. Again, he repeated the motion, earning himself another moan of want. He could feel the want coming off the boy in waves, and the look of lust on his face was almost enough to make him lose his cool and take the younger adventure at that very moment. Nevertheless, he steeled himself, he had a plan. Leaning down Roman moved, gently planting soft kisses along Nicholas's flat stomach, slowly trailing downwards towards the boy’s hips. At the same time his hands went to work, quickly undoing the belt that held the boy’s trouser’s up before pulling them away, leaving the boy in only his underwear.

Again, Nicholas moaned, a loud deep wanting needing moan as he found himself almost naked before the object of his desires. Weakly he struggled against the bindings that held his wrists, every fiber of his body craving more contact with Roman. As if Roman knew, what he was thinking he chuckled. “Soon boy. Soon. I promise.”

Again, the huskiness of Roman’s voice made him shudder. Then suddenly a new feeling rippled through him, making him gasp and moan as his organ suddenly found itself free from the confines of his underwear. Shuddering at the sudden rush of cool night air on his cock Nicholas felt his face flush a deep red color as Roman tossed the last of his clothes aside; leaving him naked and helpless before the older man. “So perfect.”

The complement made him blush again, filling him with a deep urge to hide his face. He wasn't sure why the complement was so embarrassing. It wasn't like; “AHHHHHHH!”

A second later his head snapped back his eyes clamping shut while his back arched in pleasure as he felt something warm and wet brush against the side of his needful organ. A second later, it returned, running along the opposite side of his cock, making it throb and pulse wantonly. He squirmed and wriggled, trying to make more of his organ accessible to the warm wet sensation that was making it hard to keep his breathing under control. He wanted more, every part of him craving the pleasure that was now rushing through him.

From his spot between Nicholas’s legs Roman could not help but chuckle to himself as he felt the boy struggle and squirm. He was still pinned down, so there was no way he could move his hips, no chance of Nicholas doing anything he didn’t want him to. Slowly he worked, bringing his tongue against the side of Nicholas’s cock, lavishing the organ with small licks and kisses from base to tip; earning himself several loud gasps and moans from Nicholas in return. Almost…..it was almost time…..but first…

He moved, reaching to pull something from the side of the bed before sliding his entire body against Nicholas’s; sandwiching the boy’s wanton cock between them as he leaned down and recaptured the boy’s lips. The kiss only lasted a second, just enough for his tongue to push its way into Nicholas’s mouth and claim it again; and then suddenly he pulled away. again leaving the boy panting and wanting but instead of looking down and watching the boy’s expression Roman moved, bringing a scrap of cloth up before quickly securing it around the boy’s eyes, cutting off his vision. Instantly Nicholas tensed up, half in a good way and half in a worried way.   
Leaning in Roman gently nuzzled the boy’s neck, planning several gentle kisses along it while speaking softly. “Shhhhhh. It’s ok. Just breathe.”

For his part, Nicholas nodded slowly, doing his best to take deep even breaths. He wasn't sure why the loss of his sight always worried him so much. No matter what situation he was in, if he couldn't see it always made him a bit panicked and…

However, a second later all thought vanished from his mind as a storm of pleasure blasted its way through him. Instantly his body jerked, his hips straining against the weight of Roman’s body as he felt the warm wetness return to his cock. This time though the sensation was not just on a single side but now all over, slowly moving from the tip downward, encasing his cock in a warm and wet paradise of pleasure. There was no holding back the gasps and moans now, each one slipping out of him with no resistance as he struggled to keep breathing. He shuddered and gasped as the feeling grew and grew, soon engulfing his entire organ in it’s warm wet feeling.   
Slowly Roman moved, gently bobbing his head up and down, allowing his tongue to rub and caress the sides of Nicholas’s shaft and head. There was no denying he liked seeing the boy like this. Loved seeing him moaning and struggling against the pleasure that now battered his body. Loved knowing that it was his actions that were making Nicholas feel the mind numbing pleasure that was now rushing through him. Gently he sped up, allowing a little more of Nicholas’s organ to slip from his lips and be exposed to the cool night air for a moment before being engulfed once more by his mouth. For a while, he toyed with the boy, changing the speed, the intensity of his licking, the sound of Nicholas’s moaning, and whimpering growing stronger and louder the longer, he did so. 

A few times, he pulled away, leaving Nicholas’s organ completely exposed to the cool night air, made even cooler by the now wettened skin. At this the boy would gasp and whimper, straining against Roman’s bindings and weight, desperate to return to the previous contact and pleasure; his cock throbbing in need. A few times Nicholas’ mouth would open and close soundlessly, as if he were trying to speak. The boy’s mind was almost completely gone, swallowed completely by the pleasure now raging and storming inside his body. Slowly he hands moved, gently stroking Nicholas’s stomach and chest, half to keep the boy pinned and helpless, his mouth returning to its servicing, making Nicholas let out a low purring moan. For a bit longer, he serviced the boy’s needs, all the while quickly stripping himself of his final article of clothing and allowing his own organ the freedom, it wanted. 

Suddenly he pulled away, exposing Nicholas’s entire slickened length to the cool night air. Instantly Nicholas whimpered loudly, his body straining against Roman’s weight, desperate to regain the feeling of warm wetness on his organ. For a few moments, Roman wanted as Nicholas squirmed and moaned, content to let the boy suffer a little before what was to come. Part of him wanted to extend this, wanted to keep Nicholas like this for hours on end. Realistically he knew he couldn't. The walls of the inn were no doubt thin as a single board. He’d only have a little while longer before people began retiring to their rooms for sleep. He’d have to save those other thoughts for another time. For now…

Reaching down a final time Roman picked up the small jar he’d set out. Unscrewing the metal lid Roman allowed his fingers to slip into the jar’s contents, a clear gel with the occasional dollop of some bluish substance inside it. Coating his fingers in the cool slick substance Roman soon put the jaw down, allowing the slick gel to spread as he rubbed it between his fingers for a few moments. he’d found long ago that the slick gel worked perfect as a lubricant, even if it’s intended use was as a relaxant for stiff and aching muscles. Once his fingers were, sufficiently coated Roman shifted, looking back to Nicholas who was still moaning and whimpering on the bed. The boy’s cock seemed to have grown angry at the loss of contact; now it visibly throbbed and pulsed no doubt spurred by the cool night air that wafted against the wet skin.  
For a moment, Roman’s attention shifted, reaching down not only to stroke his own organ a few times, but also to work the slick substance onto his skin, readying himself for what was to come next. Once his organ was properly coated he moved, dipping his fingers back into the jar to gather more, before returning to Nicholas’s body. 

A second later he whimpered, a new almost alien feeling filling his mind and adding to the twisting raging storm of pleasure he was feeling as he felt something wet and cold brush against his entrance. He knew what was happening, knew Roman was preparing him; but that didn’t stop him from gasping softly and trying to squirm away as he felt the cool slick something start to press against his entrance. With a sudden jolt, Nicholas felt his body give in to the pressure, allowing Roman’s slickened fingers to slip inside him. Instantly his body clamped down on the digits, trying to keep them from moving but failing miserably and instead making him moan in a combination of deep want and odd disgust as the fingers moved about inside him. “R…..r….Roman…”

Instantly Roman’s lips were on his, kissing him deeply; Roman’s tongue slipping into his mouth while his fingers worked. Even as the kiss lengthened and prolonged Roman kept his fingers moving, gently spreading more and more of the gel inside Nicholas, his fingers slipping deeper and deeper until he was sure Nicholas was ready. Taking a deep breath Roman moved, pulling his fingers from Nicholas, noting the deep whimper of loss that slipped past Nicholas’s perfect lips at the sudden loss of contact. Adjusting his position Roman moved, his hands coming back to grip Nicholas’s hips, angling them until they were in the proper position. With one hand still on Nicholas’s hips Roman’s free hand went to his own organ, giving it a final stroke to be sure it was slickened and ready before beginning 

With an almost violent amount of force, Nicholas’s head snapped back, the loudest moan yet echoing from his mouth as he felt something much bigger and warmer than a set of finger’s press against his entrance. Despite the blindfold, he clamped his eyes shut, his body trying to resist the pressure against it, which grew and grew and grew until suddenly…

A new sound erupted from his mouth this time, a half restrained grunting whimper as Nicholas felt his body give in to the pressure just as it had with Roman’s fingers. Without thinking, he bit his lip, shuddering and squirming, his body trying to retreat away from the invading sensation. But there was no escape, only surrender as slowly more and more of Roman’s cock slipped into him. His body moved on its own, no longer listening to his brain; making him squirm, whimper, and gasp. His legs clamped down, his feet hook onto each other as they closed around Roman’s hips. His head titled back further than he ever new possible, his lungs emptying into a deep shaking moan that left him feeling lightheaded. 

There was no denying the pain, the feeling of his body being stretch in a way that it wasn't used to or supposed to be stretched. But on the other hand, the pain he was feeling instantly mixed with the pleasure, making it churn and rage inside him; somehow amplifying it and making want more and more. Above him he felt Roman’s shift, their chests coming to rest against each other with every breath as Roman now overshadowed him. A moment later Nicholas found his latest moan cut off as Roman’s lips again seized his. The kiss was frantic, not Romantic or seductive like the ones before it, but instead sloppy and possessive. Roman’s tongue not even waiting for permission but instead forcing its way into his mouth; claiming it.

Roman’s groaned into the kiss, his own body aching with want. How could Nicholas feel so good? How was it possible that now he found Nicholas even sexier and more perfect than he had a few moments ago? Roman groaned again, his organ throbbing angrily as he felt Nicholas’s body twitch and spasm around it. Ever fiber of him wanted to start thrusting in and out. To speed along the pleasure that was already starting to tickle and caress his mind and body. But he knew he had to resist. As much as Nicholas loved it, there was no mistaking the hands clenched into fists, or the short pained breathes that came from the boy’s mouth. No ignoring the signs that Nicholas was not yet ready for more. 

Roman’s organ throbbed angrily, furious and being kept waiting. His brain screamed at him, commanding him to forget about the boy’s feelings; to thrust and fuck him until neither of them could move and both their lusts were sated and there were nothing but a pile of sweaty bodies. But his heart clenched at the sight of Nicholas in pain, urging him to resist the lust and instead comfort his lover. He could wait a few more moments. His lust wasn't so great he wanted to hurt the boy who now lay quivering and helpless beneath him. Instead he busied himself, gently kissing the boy’s neck and shoulders, the hand that was still free moving to the boy’s organ which was now rock hard; gently stroking the sensitive skin. He could feel it happening; Nicholas’s body slowly growing used to the sensations that it was feeling. Slowly Nicholas’s breathing returned to normal, the pained and ragged gasps changing, becoming deeper and more relaxed. 

Still he remained still, resisting the now almost all consuming urge to take the boy; instead focusing on the boy’s skin. Something about Nicholas’s skin had always fascinated him. no matter how long they spent outside, no matter how many hours they trekked in the sun, it always stayed a pale golden color; like that of wheat. Sure, it might change a few shades here and there, but not once had Roman ever seen it go the level of tan that his skin was. Before what he knew what he was doing he leaned down, gently touching the pale skin of Nicholas’s face, his hand coming up to cup the boy’s cheek and lips. Slowly his hand trailed upwards, gently pushing the mask he’d put over the boy’s eyes away, revealing the boy’s perfectly brown eyes which looked up at him through a curtain of messy blonde hair. So much looked up at him from those eyes. Trust, love, fear, uncertainty, lust; they all looked up and him now, filling him with a whirlwind of emotions he’d never allowed himself to feel breath. “R…Roman…..”

Nicholas’ voice was weak, horse from the moaning and gasping. In the blink of the eye Roman was upon him, their lips crushed together again in another kiss which seemed to suck the air out of both their lungs. For Roman the kiss was desperate, a frantic and almost hysterical need to memorize everything about this moment. He needed this, needed to remember every single detail of this moment. He kissed Nicholas for as long as his could, his lungs burning from need of air when they finally broke apart. A second later his body moved without knowing it, slowly withdrawing a bit from Nicholas’s body before pressing itself back in. 

No hisses of pain came from Nicholas this time, no grunts or whimpers of pain either; instead, a soft shuddering gasp of pleasure. It was the sign Roman had been waiting for, the signal that Nicholas was ready. A deep purr filled the room, this time coming from Roman as he slowly withdrew from Nicholas’s body before slowly thrusting back inside. Before he could stop himself, a deep moan escaped his lips, a moan Nicholas echoed a second later. Quickly they set a rhythm, the sounds of their moans mixing together to create a kind of choir. 

For Roman he was in heaven, his heart hammered in his chest at the sight of Nicholas beneath him. The way his back arched with each moan, the way his eyes flickered and darted in pleasure, even the way his hair was laying; all matted and messy. Everything about this moment was perfect; completely and utterly perfect. 

For Nicholas the feeling was indescribable. Each time Roman withdrew from him a loud whimper of want rippled through him. And each time Roman thrust back inside, a deep shuddering moan was forced from his lungs. The feeling of Roman’s body pressing down on him, combined with the feeling of their chests bumping and rubbing against each other. All of it swirled around him, making him crave more and more. 

A second later Nicholas gasped, his body jerking and tensing slightly as Roman’s free hand came up, and began to gently stroke his still needful cock; making him moan louder with each thrust. Slowly they began to change, the feelings of Roman starting to ebb slightly and instead being replaced by a kind of raw animal lust. Roman grunted as his thrusting sped up, his body thrumming with pleasure and power as he felt Nicholas’s body squeeze his organ. His breathing was becoming ragging now, his muscles aching slightly from the trek to the village. But he ignored the feelings of fatigue instead focusing on the pleasure, which was quickly building inside him. They were getting louder now, not just their moans and grunting but also the sounds of their bodies slapping together with every thrust. 

He could feel Nicholas’s cock in his hand, throbbing and pulsing; twitching in eagerness of what was to come. Again, Roman sped up, a deep almost feral growl coming from his throat as he felt Nicholas’s body again tighten and squeeze around his cock. Sweat dotted his tan skin, occasionally dripping from him and onto Nicholas’s golden pale skin. All at once, Roman felt the pleasure he’d been struggling against start to win. With another feral grunt he sped up again, each thrust making Nicholas’s entire body shake with the force behind it. Beneath him, Nicholas was moaning louder and louder his cock throbbing faster and faster even as Roman quickly stroked the sensitive organ. 

Biting his lip Roman did his best to resist, trying to prolong the feelings of pleasure for as long as possible. Some part of him didn’t want this to end; wanted to stay locked in this embrace with Nicholas forever. He didn’t care about anything else at that moment. All he could think of was Nicholas and how impossibly good it felt to be with him in this moment.   
“AHHHHHHHHHHH!”

The scream of pleasure from beneath him made him jolt, his eyes widening slightly in fascination as Nicholas’s back arched again, his eyes slamming shut as an impossibly loud moan erupted from the boy’s mouth. Roman grunted in pleasure as he felt Nicholas’s insides tighten and spasm; making the pleasure racing through his body that much more powerful. His thrusting sped up again, all sense of dignity or restraint lost as he growled and grunted, wanting to join Nicholas in his orgasmic bliss. In Roman’s hand, he could feel Nicholas’s organ twitching and pulsing; seeming to grow in size for a second just before his climax. White globs of cum erupted from Nicholas’s organ, quickly coating Roman’s hand in his warm sticky seed. Even as more and more pleasure battered Nicholas’s body Roman felt his own orgasm slam into him. 

A second later Nicholas gasped, an impossible to describe mix of pleasure and pain filling him and Roman’s weight pressed down on him; burying the older warrior’s entire length inside him in a single thrust. Even as Roman grabbed him by the hair, forcing their lips together Nicholas could feel his insides twitching; Roman’s cock seeming to grow larger and hotter for a moment before…

There was no holding back the deep carnal moan that came from him this time. Nothing, not even the kiss Roman had pulled him into could keep him from shuddering and quivering; his insides twitching involuntarily as he felt a new sensation filled him. He moaned into the kiss, his mind almost completely gone now; unable to feel anything but the pleasure drowning him. His senses were on overload, unable to keep up with everything that was happening to him. Weakly he clung to Roman’s body with his feet, irrationally terrified that if he let go this would all end. For how long they stayed like this he couldn't say. Time simply stopped mattering to him anymore. All he could focus on was Roman and the pleasure and the fact that it was Roman making him feel this way. 

After what felt like an eternity, he felt Roman move, not in a way that was sexual but in an exhausted way that seemed to bring Nicholas back into reality. Slowly he grunted, shivering slightly as Roman and he broke apart, the cool night air rushing in to chill their sweat-coated bodies. He shivered as Roman continued to move, the warrior’s strong arms not trembling slightly as he slowly withdrew from Nicholas’s body. Just like before a whimper of longing rippled through Nicholas’s body as he felt Roman completely retreat from his insides; in response Roman chuckled softly, a faint smirk flickering across his face. “So needy.”

A moment later Roman moved, his arms continuing to shake slightly as he moved to undo the knots he’d tied Nicholas up with. His body was clumsy now, his fingers taking several moments longer to undo the knots that had taken him only a heartbeat to tie previously. The moment Nicholas’s arms were free they moved, wrapping around Roman’s shoulders in a deep embrace. He could feel it now, the fatigue he had been putting off for the last several hours was rapidly approaching. His body shook with the effort to stay up, and keep himself from falling down on top of Nicholas. 

The boy seemed to know what he was thinking; shifting so, he was no longer laying under him but instead to the side, allowing Roman to drop down onto the mattress in a tired sweaty heap. A moment later, he grunted slightly, feeling Nicholas move and roll him onto his side. For a moment Roman worried the boy might still have some vigor left, a shudder rolling through him as he felt Nicholas’s hand brush against his now deflated organ. But those fears vanished as Nicholas pulled the blanket from the foot of the bed over them before setting in against his chest. Using the last of his energy Roman shifted, wrapping his own arms around Nicholas’s smaller form. Part of him wanted to speak, to tell Nicholas how magical that had been. To put into words the feelings that whirled around him and filled him with as much fear as it did hope. 

But his fatigue was upon him now. Barely giving him enough time to pull Nicholas close against his chest before sleep took him.

__________  


Sighing softly Nicholas did his best to relax. Next to him Roman snored softly, his chest rising and falling in rhythm with his breath. Roman’s arms securely wrapped around his shoulder and chest in a way lovers might hold one another. His body ached in the best possible way, a result of the night’s previous activities. He should have been content, he should have wanted to stay like this and sleep all night. And yet…….  
  
As quietly as he could Nicholas moved, slowly lifting up Roman’s arm before slowly sitting up. His movement roused Roman, who groaned softly before opening single eyes to look at him. “Where are you off to boy?”  
  
Smiling down at his companion Nicholas moved, leaning in to gently kiss Roman’s forehead. “For a walk. I’m….a bit restless.”  
  
Roman continued to look at him. “A walk…..or a pinch?”  
  
Nicholas bit his lip; he supposed he should have known Roman would be able to read him. True, for the last half hour or so his mind had been focused on their coin or lack thereof. Even with the coin they’d gotten from the items they’d sold, and the coin they MIGHT earn tomorrow from the wolf hunt, they were tight…..again.  
  
Pulling on his tunic and pants Nicholas turned, still feeling Roman’s eyes on him. “We’ll see what the night has in store.”  
  
Roman groaned softly. “Just don't get caught.”  
  
Nicholas chuckled. “I haven’t yet.”  
  
This time it was Roman’s turn to chuckle softly. “Cept once.”  
  
He ignored Roman’s words, quickly slipping from the room and starting to creep down the dark hallway. The building was silent now. Everyone in the bar had gone home, although Nicholas could hear the deep snores of the barman coming from behind the bar. As he moved down the stairs he stepped lightly, managing to make it to the floor without making a sound. His luck remained true when he found the front door was unlocked, no doubt left this way in case of an emergency.  
  
Stepping out of the inn Nicholas inhaled deeply allowing the cold night air to fill his lungs. Around him the village was mostly asleep, he could see a few lights coming from the insides of people’s houses, but most appeared to be blackened and asleep. Slowly he began to walk, his legs carrying him along the darkened roads. High above him the pale white moon shown down on him, the silvery ethereal light illuminating his path. He often did this, walked alone at night. It helped to calm him, allowing him to work through whatever thoughts or feelings he was struggling with at the time.  
  
In truth he wasn’t really struggling right now. Yes his worry about his and Roman’s coin was weighing on his mind, but that was a near constant worry and not one that normally kept him awake at night. Sighing softly he blinked as he felt the surface under his shoes change. Looking up Nicholas found that his legs had carried him down to the wharf that ran along the village. In the darkness he could make out the darkened shapes of boats moored and tethered along the docks; creaking and groaning softly in the inky darkness. The temperature had dropped now that he was closer to the ocean now, so much so that he shivered a bit in the cold.  
  
Slowly he began to move, walking along the inky black shoreline as the waves crashed endlessly against the hardened sandy surface. No, it wasn’t his and Roman’s finances that were bothering him. It was…..this place; the village. Being here, in a place so similar to the village he’d grown up in, it brought back old memories; and with them old wounds that hadn’t yet healed.  
  
Sighing to himself Nicholas looked up at the moon. He was happy with Roman that much he knew. And despite what he’d been told as a child being with Roman and men in general didn’t feel twisted or perverted. Why then…  
  
But a moment later he shook his head, pushing these thoughts and half formed memories down. Screw what anyone else thought, he liked Roman, he was happy with Roman. And damn anyone who said that was wrong. Turning away from the shoreline he moved. Making his way back up the beach towards the inn. Silently he crept back inside, up the stairs and back into the room he and Roman shared. As he paused to strip his clothes back off Roman stirred, a sleep muffed whisper of “welcome back.” coming from Roman’s sleeping form. A moment later Roman shifted, allowing Nicholas to burrow under the blankets and retake his spot in Roman’s embrace. Taking a deep breath Nicholas closed his eyes, allowing the moment to sink in. He was asleep in seconds  


\----------

  
Morning in the village was about what you’d expect, with the smells of food and baking filling the air of the village. All around people swarmed, laborers grabbing quick meals from the food vendors that lined the streets. Some businesses had opened and a few little kitchens had cropped up with chairs and tables serving those who could be a bit more leisurely with their breakfast. It was here that Roman and Nicholas sat at; both of them agreeing that spending a little more on breakfast was a good idea considering what they had planned today. Now they sat, Roman slowly eating the bread and eggs he’d been served while Nicholas ate with a bit more gusto. Savoring the flavors of non-preserved food.  
  
The taste was decent, maybe a tad bit better than normal; but having eaten only stale bread and dried meats and fruits, to Nicholas it tasted amazing. As he scarfed down the warm fresh loaf Roman spoke. “Don’t eat too much. We don’t want you to get sick during the fight.”  
  
Nicholas rolled his eyes. “I won’t. I’ll be ok.”  
  
Nevertheless he slowed his pace. Taking another bite he spoke. “So, how much are we gunna get from this?”  
  
Roman shrugged. “35 kop for the job. And an extra 5 kop for each wolf we bring back proof of the kill. Plus we can skin what we kill and sell the pelts so…..we could make some decent coin from this.”  
  
Nicholas nodded. “And I take it you have a plan?”  
  
Roman smiled and nodded. “Of course, rule one of being a hunter. I figure we go out and follow the shepherds and their flocks and keep our eyes open for the wolves. Once we spot them we attack, injure a few maybe kill one or two. They’ll run back to their lair and the alpha. We follow and once we find the alpha we attack.”  
  
Nicholas nodded, while taking a sip of water. “And then we kill the alpha?”  
  
But this time Roman shook his head. “No. That wouldn’t solve anything. They’d pick a new alpha and everything would start all over again. No, we need to injure the alpha show the pack that staying here is gunna be a hassle. That way they move on and don’t come back….at least for a while.”  
  
Nicholas cocked his head. “If we want them gone why not just kill them all? That would solve the problem permanently.”  
  
Roman rolled his eyes. “Cause if we do that then a bigger more dangerous animal will move in to fill the power vacuum. Wolves are bad enough, but it could be worse if a bear or other monster moves in. We want the wolves to stay nearby, but we don’t want them attacking the sheep.”  
  
Nicholas leaned back in his chair. “How do you know so much about hunting wolves? They aren’t monsters.”  
  
Roman shrugged while at the same time shaking his head. “They aren’t monsters…...but….they’re also not, not monsters. Wolves are odd creatures. They’re similar to dogs in almost every way except their minds. Which is very similar to that of a hyper intelligent monster. Hunters have always been curious about wolves, so they get studied a lot. Most hunters have gone on at least one wolf hunt before. They’re good practice and always a problem.”  
  
Nodding in understanding Nicholas turned his attention back to his plate of food, quickly finishing off the few scraps that were left. Across from him Roman downed the remaining tea he had left in his cup before slowly getting to his feet and stretching slightly. Following Roman Nicholas too stood up, grabbing the last scrap of cooked bacon on the plate to munch on as he and Roman began to walk.  
Moving through the village Nicholas smiled as he found the day was almost perfect. The sun was starting to grow, warming the stone streets and building with it’s with radiant light. Above them the sky was mostly clear with only a few white clouds here and there. A soft breeze ran through the streets, enough to make his hair waiver slightly in its wake. Around them traveling merchants and shows had setup their claims, no doubt hoping to do good business as a result of the festival that would soon start.  
  
Making their way through the streets Nicholas stuck close to Roman. But allowed his eyes to wander the stalls and booths that had been setup. A few things caught his eye, a dealer selling shiny jewelry, an acting troop performing some kind of comedy play to the delight of a group of children. And a large green tent that had several displays of armor in front of it. Against his will Nicholas couldn’t help but compare those sets of armor to the one he wore now.  
  
He'd gotten this armor a few years ago. In truth only the leather bracers around his wrists were truly his, having been a gift from his aunt before she'd passed away. The rest of it; the leather chest guard, the hardened leather greaves and even the guard on his bow hand had all been scavenges either taken from others in his time as a thief or scavenged from other less acceptable sources. His bow was his one of the only things he'd kept from his old life while his daggers had been a recent gain, a gift from a traveling bladesmith Roman and he had saved a few months ago.  
  
As if Roman knew what he was thinking he spoke. “Relax. Your armor is tried and true. Better to use armor you trust rather than whatever is flashier.”  
  
Nicholas bit his lip. He supposed what Roman was saying was true. Roman himself even as a hunter was pretty basic armor. A pauldron and arm guard to protect his sword arm, a shield to protect his left side, a leather chestguard and a metal chest and shoulder guard that covered his upper chest where his heart was and his shoulder on his sword arm. However unlike Nicholas, Roman wore protection for his legs too, a set of leather pants covered by a thin sheet of chainmail links and boots with plates or iron to protect his shins and ankles.  
  
Their target was coming into sight now. Nicholas could see several large barns that people were milling around. Even as they approached the large doors to the barns opened and sheep began to flood out. As they approached the group of people one of them stepped forward to greet them. “Ah, the hunters arrive at last. Was worried you'd not show.”  
  
Roman shook his head. “I said I would. So I will. Although I’m the only hunter here. My companion…” Roman gestured to Nicholas. “...is just a companion. But he'll be helping us today.”  
  
The man who had greeted them turned, looking at Nicholas who took the moment to look the man up and down as well. He was tall, his skin almost as tan as Roman’s, no doubt a result of shepherding the sheep in the sun. His short black hair was unkempt and messy, and in his right hand he clutched a walking stick. After a moment the man nodded slightly to Nicholas, no doubt satisfied by what he saw. The man turned back to Roman. “Is there anything special we need to do while you're with us? To help attract the wolves?”  
  
Roman shook his head. “No. Do the same things you do every day. Anything super different and the wolves will know something is off. Just be ready to move the sheep when I give the signal and get them away from us. We don't wanna fight wolves with a stampede around us.”  
  
The shepherd nodded, before moving away to relay the instructions he'd been given. At the same time Roman turned to speak to Nicholas. “Keep your eyes peeled. When the time comes try to use your bow to keep the wolves at a distance. If they get in close let them lunge at you, your daggers will be good for catching them in the stomach or the side, but try not to get surrounded. Wolves can easily pull a person off their feet.”  
  
Nodding in understanding Nicholas shifted, moving his bow from its traveling position so that it now hung off his shoulder much more easily drawn if and when the need arose. In front of them Nicholas watched as the shepherd they had spoke to before moved, heading towards the front of the herd of sheep. A moment later a loud whistle met his ears and the sheep began to move. Next to him Roman spoke. “Hmmmm. The man has had military training. Good to know.”  
  
Following the shepherds and their flock Nicholas looked sideways at Roman. “How can you tell?”  
  
Roman shrugged. “Imperial soldiers are taught to use whistles to communicate when marching or in battle. The man used whistles to signal to the others that it was time to go. So at the very least they have an understanding of how to communicate that way.”  
  
Nicholas nodded slowly. “Ok.”  
  
Roman looked to him. “If you spot the wolves, let out a quick whistle to alert me.”  
  
Following the shepherds on their flock Nicholas found that they quickly left the vicinity of the village, instead spreading out over a large bluff that seemed to stretch on for miles. To the far right the bluff dropped off. No doubt in a sheer drop to the ocean below. To the left the forests he and Roman had walked through to get here. But directly in front of them the bluffs stretched out in a smooth level plain that seemed to shimmer and waver as the grasses swayed in the gentle breeze.  
  
Keeping his eyes peeled Nicholas scanned the surrounding area. The sheep were starting to disperse now, slowly spreading out so they could graze in peace. A few times one of the shepherds would whistle a signal that some sheep were trying to wander off. Somewhere in the skies above them a falcon let out a screech, no doubt on the hunt for its next meal. The scene was picturesque, like something out of a bard’s tale or a mural painted by an artist. But for the most part Nicholas ignored the picturesque scene before him; instead his attention was turned to the surrounding area. His eyes scanned the tree line, looking for any movement that might indicate that the wolves were watching them. He knew Roman was doing the same, scanning for wolves and remaining ready for the moment when they'd burst into action. For over an hour they remained this way, on alert; their senses straining to pick up on the slightest hint of trouble.  
  
The shepherds had just begun to move the flock to another area when he spotted them. Nicholas’s eyes widened as he found several grey outlines had appeared in the tree line. Not only that but as the herd moved, making their way along the bluffs; the grey outlines moved with them. Waving his hand in the air Nicholas did his best to attract Roman’s attention, despite Roman having wandered away from him by several yards. But a moment later he recalled what Roman had told him. Bringing his fingers to his mouth Nicholas blew, letting out quick whistle that echoed in the open air. He winced slightly at the sound, the shrill piercing tone cutting through the soft sounds of the grasses waving in the breeze, but having the desired effect as he watched Roman turn to look at him. Gesturing to the tree line Nicholas watched as Roman shifted, his attention going to where he’d indicated. After a few moments Roman began to move, taking a lazy but direct route that brought him closer to the tree line for a better look; while still keeping him a distance away so as not to tip the wolves that they’d been spotted.  
  
Taking a deep breath Nicholas readied himself, willing the odd tenseness that had crept into his body to ease. This always happened, just before there was a battle, his mind and body became tense. Running through all the possible scenarios that could happen during the soon coming battle. Instead he forced himself to think of other things; to ignore the sudden itching feeling his hands were experiencing and instead focus on his surroundings. The wind was blowing over his shoulder; that would help his arrows fly further. But he’d also have to take into account the extra force the wind would give him, or he might miss his targets because the arrows were moving faster than he’d planned them too. Between him and the tree line was a small pile of boulders and stones, he could use them for cover; and even to get a slight advantage over the battlefield if he needed too. Taking another deep breath he moved, slowly shrugging his shoulders, a subtle way of readying his bow to be drawn, his arrow hand went up and back in an exaggerated stretch.  
  
Another loud whistle split the air, this one followed by a second quick whistle. In front of him Nicholas watched as the shepherds tensed, many of them looking nervously to the others before letting out their own whistles, calling the sheep back to them. Turning to face the tree line Nicholas readied himself. Any moment no-  
  
His body reacted the second he heard the next whistle. The world seemed to fall away as he swung his shoulder around, letting his bow loose before grabbing it with his left hand. His right hand dipped down, grabbing the first arrow in his quiver before knocking it against his bow and taking aim. In front of him and to the right he could see Roman moving, his shield arm having come up to protect himself while his sword arm had dipped down and was already halfway through drawing his broadsword. All the while Roman charged, heading straight for the tree line and the waiting wolves. A second later Nicholas released his arrow, watching as it seemed to vanish from his hand as it flew forward. The arrow sailed straight, but not true instead burying its tip into a tree slightly to the right of the wolf he’d been aiming at.  
  
With the chance of surprise gone the battle had begun. A slight shudder of fear rolled through Nicholas’s body as one of the wolves let out a deafening howl, a signal to his fellow wolves that it was time to attack. The grey forms became sharper as they emerged from the forest and brush. He could see seven wolves charging at them, while a few more hung back; no doubt as backup for later in the battle.  
  
The wolves were at Roman now. Even as Nicholas reached back for his next arrow he watched as a wolf lunged at Roman who brought his shield up, before lashing out and catching the wolf in the side. The wolf yelped as it found itself thrown away by its target slamming into the ground in a tangle of fur and legs. Taking aim with his next arrow Nicholas released the shot. Again the arrow seemed to vanish, disappearing into the air and sailing towards the downed wolf that Roman had deflected. This time the arrow struck its target, the wolf yelping and howling in pain as the arrow materialized in the side of its chest.  
  
For a moment the wolf’s howl echoed through the air, seeming to overtake all other sounds around them. But the howl died a moment later, the wolf slumping to the ground, dead. But there was no time to celebrate the kill. In front of him Nicholas watched as Roman’s sword swung through the air at the wolves, who easily dodged the attack. He watched as a wolf circled around, trying to lunge at Roman from behind.  
  
For a moment Nicholas worried, had Roman seen the sneak attack? But he got his answer a second later as Roman spun around, his sword coming up to catch the wolf in the stomach. Again a howl of pain ripped through the air as blood and viscera seemed to explode from the spot Roman had slashed. The wolf hit the ground a sickening wet thud as it landed in a pile of its own internals where it did not get back up.  
  
But his watching the moment had cost him, with a jolt Nicholas spun around, the sound of growling and howling alerting him just in time. One of the wolves had spotted him, but instead of charging towards him had instead circled around and was now within striking distance. The wolf lunged, its mouth open wide revealing rows of gnashing razor teeth that would have loved to tear him apart. Bringing his bow up Nicholas grunted as he felt the weight of the wolf crash into him.  
  
His back hit the ground beneath him, the weight of the wolf pinning him in place. But he’d managed to move in time, bringing his bow up in such a way so as to keep the wolf from managing to bite him. Instead the wolf snapped and growled, the bow stuck in its mouth keeping it at bay for a few precious seconds. Gripping his bow tightly with both hands Nicholas grunted again, struggling with the effort of keeping the wolf back as the wolf slobbered, drooled, growled and gnashed at him; the bow firmly planted between his jaws instead of Nicholas’s neck. Struggling against the force of the wolf Nicholas acted.  
  
His leg snapped up, driving his knee as hard as he could into the backside of the wolf. The wolf moved, its weight lifting off his chest as the force of the kick lifted the wolf off him; sending it tail over head onto the ground just above him. Knowing he had only seconds to act, Nicholas rolled; scrambling to his feet while his hands went to his daggers, wrenching them from their sheaths and readying himself. A second later the wolf was back on its feet, charging towards him again.  
  
At the last second Nicholas dodged, throwing himself to the left, managing to narrowly avoid getting knocked off his feet again. His daggers came up, cutting deeply into the side of the wolf. The wolf howled in pain as the blade sliced through it’s should, making it land in a crumpled heap. But Nicholas gave it no time to recover. He launched himself at the creature, landing on top of it while bringing his left dagger up. A moment later the dagger vanished, disappearing into the side of the wolf’s neck; batheing Nicholas’s hand in the warm bloody gore that erupted from the wound.  
  
He pressed the attack. Twisting the dagger as he pulled it from the wolf. His hand went to the wolf’s head, pushing it to the ground exposing the creature’s neck. A moment later his dagger returned to the creature, vanishing into the wolf’s neck making the it tense; its muscles locking and seizing for a moment before going limp a second later as it died. His heart hammered in his chest as he scrambled back onto his feet, his eyes jerking wildly as he scanned the area for any more wolves.  
  
In front of him Roman was still battling the wolves, but had managed to fell another leaving two dead at his feet. Even as he watched Roman rapped and clattered his sword against his shield in challenge to the remaining wolves who seemed to be losing their nerves. No longer did they charge and attack but now circled and plotted, their resolve shaken by the numbers they had lost. A second later a loud yip echoed through the air.  
  
The wolves circling Roman broke off, turning their backs and running, scampering back into the forest. But Roman gave chase, following their retreat as he shouted. “FOLLOW THEM! DON’T LOOSE THE TRAIL!”  
  
Nicholas didn’t respond, instead his body focused as he charged forward as Roman had told him too; pausing just long enough to grab his fallen bow before running as fast as he could towards the forest. The forest enveloped him, its tall trees and shifting lights seeming like a whole new world he was running through. He had no time to admire the landscape though; instead he focused on his breathing. Taking a breath each time his foot hit the ground before exhaling as he pushed off. In front of him was Roman, using his shield as a battering ram to knock bushes and tree branches out of the way, giving Nicholas a clear path to follow.  
  
For how long they ran, Nicholas wasn’t sure. He kept his focus, doing his best to take deep controlled breaths as he ran. In the corners of his vision he could see things. Deers quietly grazing on grasses that grew up from the forest floor; their heads snapping up to watch cautiously as they ran past. A patch of boulder dabbled in the sunlight, small plants stretching up as if to greet the sun. A half abandoned hunting camp, not long evacuated if the smoke rising from the smoldering fire was any indication.  
  
But the scenes flashed by him so fast that he had no time to take in their finer details. Instead he kept running, doing his best to follow Roman’s charging form and to ignore the growing ache in his side. Suddenly the forest thinned; the thick bushes and low hanging limbs he’d been running through vanished, expanding into a clearing where Roman had come to a stop. Stopping a few feet short of Roman Nicholas felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. In front of them a large grouping of boulders jutted up from the forest floor, their stony surface covered in a layer of moss and plant life. But it was what was around the boulders that drew Nicholas’s attention, making his heartbeat a little quicker while his hands itched and burned with nervous energy. Dozens of wolves dotted the boulders their grey mangy fur almost blending in with the tone of the stone.  
  
In front of him Roman readied himself, bringing his shield up protectively, while keeping his sword at the ready. A moment later Nicholas’s attention was pulled from the array of angry snarling wolves and instead directed towards the largest boulder in the clearing and the wolf that stood on top of it. A loud echoing howling rippled through the clearing; the sound reaching into Nicholas and stirring his stomach with fear and uncertainty. The wolf was huge, larger than the other wolves by at least a half. Unlike the other wolves whose fur was patched and tattered, no doubt from wandering and hunting; this wolf’s fur was pristine. As it stood on the boulder it looked down at them, clearly trying to decide how to handle the two threats who had dared to attack its minions. Another echoing howl emanated from the lead wolf, the only response it was capable of giving. Around them the army of wolves began to move, growling snarling and snapping at the air as they closed in around them. Nicholas bit his lip, his eyes nervously going to Roman who still looked calm and collected. They were surrounded, something Roman had said to try and avoid. If there was ever a time……  
  
Nicholas’s hand ducked low, digging into one of the pouches strapped to his belt and grabbing the object inside; a small smooth orb of glass. Pulling the orb from his pocket Nicholas readied himself as the wolves came closer. He’d only have one shot at this.  
  
Roman seemed to know what he was thinking, the seasoned hunter letting out a soft response of “Make it count.”  
  
Forcing himself to take a deep breath Nicholas shifted, watching as the wolves came closer and closer until……  
  
A third and final howl rippled through the clearing, a signal to attack.  
  
It happened in the split second before the wolves charged. As the echo of the howl washed through the clearing Nicholas spun around, facing the large alpha wolf who had given the command. Drawing his hand back he threw the orb, watching as the brown glass ball sailed through the air for a moment before striking the stone just under where the alpha wolf stood perched and watching. A moment later the ground shook, the sound of thunder ripping through the clearing as the orb shattered against the stone boulder. A blinding flash of light illuminated the clearing; shining so brightly that Nicholas was forced to look away and shield his eyes for a moment or risk being blinded. But the orb had done its job. Even as the sound of thunder echoed and reverberated around the clearing Nicholas could see that where the orb had struck was starting to crack.  
  
In seconds the crack grew and shifted, racing along the surface of the boulder in every direction as the ancient stone broke and shattered from the force of the magical explosion. The alpha wolf jerked, its position no longer secure as the stone under its paws buckled and broke. A second later the wolf yelped, as the rock fell out from under it, sending it cracking to the ground in a heap of stone, dust, fur and legs  
  
But he had no time to watch, instead his eyes turning to look as the wolves that had encircled them began to charge at him. Luckily they weren’t charging all at once, Nicholas watched as only some of the wolves rushed towards them; their jaws and teeth ready to tear them apart. Next to him he felt Roman move, his sword arm cutting a broad swath through the air at the wolves. The attack however was a diversion, even as the wolf dodged the blade the blunt end of Roman’s shield came down, crashing into the wolf’s spine no doubt shattering the sensitive bone structure. Not to be out done Nicholas moved changing the grip of his daggers from raised and upwards to reversed and down as the wolves who had charged him grew near. Lashing out with his foot and not a dagger he managed to catch one of the wolves just under its jaw with a fierce kick.  
  
The wolf’s head jerked upward in response, an action that allowed him to bring his dagger down with even more force, plunging the tip and blade into the top of the wolf’s skull. Instantly the creature went limp, dropping to the ground dead. But Nicholas was already moving, turning to meet the next wolf who lunged at him. Crouching low Nicholas dodged the attack, the wolf sailing over him and through the spot he’d been at a moment ago. Turning slightly he attacked, his dagger cutting deeply into the wolf’s stomach as it carried over him. Blood and gore exploded from the gash, showering down on him like some kind of horrific bloody rain. But another wolf was already upon him and this time because of his position down low he couldn’t dodge the attack in time. But he was saved seconds later as the solid and impenetrable form of Roman’s shield came down in front of him; the wolf striking the shield in a clatter of teeth and snarls.  
  
Behind him Nicholas heard Roman grunt as he shoved the shield back, throwing the wolf away from them and back to the ground. A second later Roman whirled back around, managing to catch a wolf who had been about to lunge with the edge of the shield, pinning in to the ground. Roman moved with trained precision, his sword arm coming back before jabbing forward. Once, twice, three times his sword vanished into the body of the wolf, each time it retreated allowing a burst of blood from the wolf’s body where it had been stabbed. But Roman wasted no time admiring the skill, his training already telling him what he needed to do next. He watched as a wolf charged at him, coming in low and quick, no doubt hoping to lunch at the last moment and catch him off guard and drag him to the ground. But he foiled that wolf’s plan, taking a step forward as if to meet the wolf before suddenly side stepping while bringing his sword down with at much strength as he could; cleaving the wolf’s head from its body.  
  
He barred his teeth, turning his attention towards his true target, the alpha wolf that had managed to get to its feet as was now hovering just beyond the ring of attacking wolves. This time it was he who charged the wolves, rushing forward as his training had taught him to, thrusting his sword out in front of him and managing to catch an unlucky wolf in the side. His blade exploded out the other side of the wolf, skewering the wolf clear through for a second before withdrawing and allowing the wolf to fall. For a moment his and the alpha wolf’s eyes locked. The wolf may not have been able to speak, but Roman knew what it was thinking. Most people assumed because wolves were animals that they were dumb; they’re not. Wolves were just as smart as any goblin or thresher, or any other animal that hunts in packs.  
  
A brief smile spread across Roman’s face as the alpha growled and snarled at him. He responded, his sword coming back to bang against his shield in challenge. “BRING IT ON!”


	2. Chapter 2

The alpha wolf responded, just as Roman knew it had to; it’s back arching in an almost graceful curve as it threw its head back and let out another howl before charging straight for him. He readied himself, taking a deep breath as the alpha wolf drew nearer. With trained precision he lashed out, hoping to catch the wolf off guard during a lung. But the alpha was to smart, instead the wolf ducked back, managing to narrowly avoid his blade while at the same time halting its charge.

Quickly Bringing his shield back up Roman waited, watching as the alpha continued to growl and snarl at him, now taking too slowly moving sideways.

Beyond his and the alpha’s battle he could hear the other wolves howling and snarling, no doubt still pursuing Nicholas. Part of him desperately wanted to turn and look, to make sure Nicholas was ok and not being torn to shreds by angry and hungry wolves. But his training had honed him to resist that urge. He knew better. Taking your eyes off a monster, even for a literal second could seal your fate. Instead his gaze remained locked keeping the alpha wolf in his view at all times and even occasionally locking eyes with it.

The wolf moved in, its path no longer straight and direct but instead a darting zigzag that made it harder for him to target. Her jerked and moved, trying to keep his shield between himself and the wolf. At the last second, when they were less than an arm’s length away he struck, his sword slicing through the air towards the wolf’s leg. He wasn’t trying to kill the wolf, like he’d told Nicholas that would ruin the plan. Instead he hoped to injure the wolf and force it to retreat. But the wolf had other plans. Roman felt his stomach jolt and clench as the wolf dodged the attack, its razor sharp claws rushing towards his leg. A split second later pain erupted through his body, making him cry out in pain as white hot agony shot through his leg. He staggered slightly, his body instinctively shifting his weight onto his uninjured leg, throwing him off his stance and leaving him open to attack. The wolf pressed the attack, lunging at him from almost point blank.

He reacted out of desperation, his shield coming to try and desperately knock the wolf away. He felt the side of his shield connect with the wolf’s front shoulder, knocking it off its intended target. Instead of hitting him in the chest the wolf flew past him, landing in a momentary crouch before springing to its feet and running at him again. He was vulnerable, lances of pain shooting through his leg where the wolf’s claws had ripped into his skin. He did his best to stay ready, keeping his shield up and between him and the wolf while his sword remained ready to strike.

Several times the alpha wolf rushed him and each time he deflected or blocked the assault, taking the time to try and injure the wolf but failing to do so. As the wolf retreated from the last assault Roman groaned. He needed to end this quickly. His arms were shaking from the effort of holding his weapons. His leg ached from his injuries and his worry for Nicholas was going to quickly drive him insane if he didn't do something soon.

Shifting his stand he brought his sword up, abandoning his defensive stance and instead changing to a more offensive position. Taking a deep breath Roman steeling himself, this was going to hurt. Suddenly he rushed forward, charging towards the lead wolf while drawing his sword back. The wolf dodged the attack, slipping backwards, he'd expected that. Changing attack he slashed down at the wolf’s shoulder, and again as he’d planned the wolf ducked backwards to avoid the attack. He pressed forward his shield moving forward to try and bash into the wolf’s front. The wolf, already off balance from the repeated ducking of his attacks was off balance and unable to get out of the way in time. His shield crashed into the chest of the wolf, lifting it off the ground and sending it reeling backwards.

Again he pressed the attack, taking another step forward before lashing out, not with his sword or shield but with his armored boot. The wolf’s body jerked as Roman’s metal plated boot connected with its jaw. The wolf’s mouth clicked shut as it reeling backward from the attack. A second later the wolf’s rump touched the stone wall, exactly as Roman had planned. He’d cornered the wolf, and now was the time to strike and end this. His sword arm came back, readying for the strike which came a heartbeat later.

It happened as if in slow motion. The wolf rearing backwards, trying to avoid the point if Roman’s rapidly approaching sword. At the last second Roman shifted, his sword tip jerking away from the wolf’s neck and instead aiming for...

The alpha wolf let out a howl of pain. Not the deep echoing howls it had let out before, but instead a loud yelping howl of pain as Roman’s sword tip caught the wolf at the base of its ear. For a second the wolf struggled, even as more of the sword blade sliced through its ear. But the damage was done, the wolf staggered, letting out another pained howl as it moved away; its ear however remaining where Roman had severed and pinned it to the rock wall by his blade.

Pulling his blade from the stone Roman turned, he may have injured the wolf, but now came the most important part. Whirling around so he was facing the alpha wolf Roman lunged, drawing his sword back as if to stab the wolf again, who was too caught up in its pain to escape. Thrusting his sword forward Roman made as if to stab the wolf between the eyes, the tip of his blade set and aimed perfectly. But at the very last second he stopped, the tip of his sword coming to rest almost leisurely against the wolf’s forehead. For a full five seconds they stayed like this, neither he nor the wolf moving a muscle.

This was the part that soldier and normal hunters failed to understand. That a wolf was just as smart as a man, and if you injured one and then showed it that you could kill it; then it would back off and move somewhere else. Others would simply kill the wolves, which would fix the problem temporarily but would ultimately create a vacuum for something much worse to move into. But their frozen moment of time vanished as the wolf staggered backwards away from his blade. As it did so the alpha wolf let out another pained howl, this one warbling slightly as it echoed around the clearing. Adjusting his stance slightly Roman quickly checked, making sure the other wolves weren't about to attack him from behind.

The wolves were running towards him sure; but instead of lunging and snapping at him they instead ran past him; towards their injured lead which they prospectively closed around. For another moment Roman’s and the alpha wolf’s eyes met; a final test of wills between them. But it was a test Roman won seconds later as the wolf packed moved away, protecting the alpha as they moved into the tree line and away from the clearing. Only once he was sure they were gone did he look away, grunting in pain as he sheathed his sword before turning to try and locate Nicholas. For several tense moments Roman’s heart pounded in his chest as he found that he couldn’t find Nicholas.

But his feat turned to relief seconds later as he spotted Nicholas. The boy had used his smaller size and greater mobility to his advantage, and had scaled the boulders the wolves had first stood on. Several arrow punctured bodies had fallen from the boulders and now lay strewn around the bottom; no doubt having his killed as the four legged creatures had tried to scale the stones and attack Nicholas. But Roman’s eyes widened as he watched Nicholas clambering down from the stones, his tunic stained a sickly dark red. He moved, intending to rush forward and check to boy, to be sure the blood he was coated and covered in wasn’t his own. He moved towards Nicholas, more worry filling him as he noted Nicholas was limping slightly. But no sooner had he tried to move his injured leg, then pain shot through him, knocking the wind from his gut like a punch from an armored fist.

He gasped and grunted, his hand going to clutch his thigh in pain. In front of him Nicholas sped up, rushing towards him. “You’re hurt.”

Again Roman grunted, this time at the deep throbbing waves that were rippling through his injured leg. He'd need to see a healer or alchemist soon. If he didn't, he’d run the risk of getting an infection. He staggered slightly. Putting more of his weight on his uninjured leg so as to help alleviate the pain he was feeling. As he did so Nicholas reached him, a look of concern covering his expression.

“Come on.”

Nicholas moved, skirting around Roman’s side for a moment before leaning in and helping Roman to support his weight by giving him something to lean on. Slowly they hobbled forward, quickly making their way to one of the smaller boulders so Roman could sit down. Quickly Nicholas ducked down, moving to examine Roman’s injury.

“It’s bleeding freely. But it’s a clean cut and it doesn’t look like any dirt got in.”

Roman nodded, trusting Nicholas’s assessment. A second later the sound of ripping fabric made him jerk slightly. His head snapped downwards, widening as he found Nicholas had pulled a length of bandage from his belt. “This may sting a little.”

Quickly Nicholas worked, wrapping the bandages as tightly as he could; working to make sure the edges of the cuts were pressed together so they might clot a bit faster. All the while Roman grunted, no doubt feeling discomfort from the handling. As he worked Nicholas heard Roman speak. “The blood….are you ok?”

He nodded while at the same time shrugging. ““It’s not mine. Back in the field a wolf lunged at me. I got him in the stomach. I’m ok.”

Roman grunted again. “You’re limping.”

Again Nicholas nodded. “Twisted my ankle a bit when I was clambering up the rocks. It’s fine.”

Roman opened his mouth to respond but instead of words a deep grunt of pain came out as Nicholas tugged the edges of the bandage tightly before securing the end so it wouldn't come loose. After that Nicholas straightened up before looking around the clearing. “We’ll need to make you a crutch or something; too much moving could make the sound worse. You’ll definitely need to see a healer.”

Nodding in agreement Roman gestured to the bodies of the bead wolves that dotted the clearing. “Don’t forget. We get an extra 3 kop for bringing back proof of the kills.”

Nicholas nodded, his hand pulling one of his daggers from its sheath. Quickly he went around, bending over each wolf, first making sure it was dead before going to work. Soon he had a pouch filled with the front right paws of the dead wolves. As he worked he kept track, mentally noting that they should get an extra 21 kop for the wolves in they'd killed. For a few moments he entertained the idea of doing more. The wolves’ fur was patched and matted, but could be used to fix tools or patch sails, and the meat might make for touched but edible cuts. But he decided against it for now. Skinning and filleting the wolves would take time. And right now Roman really did need to get to a healer.

Once he was finished with the wolves he shifted, his attention going to the trees that lined the clearing. Digging through the branches that had fallen from the trees he quickly found a thicker one that would be able to support Roman’s weight. Using his dagger he quickly hacked out a small grip for Roman to hold on to, while at the same time cutting away the occasional offshoot. Bringing the crude crutch back he set it upright, moving to help Roman stand before maneuvering the crutch and pushing it into place.

Roman groaned as his injury pulsed from the movement, but found that with the crutch he could certainly move easier than without it. He watched as ext to him Nicholas picked up his shield, helping to lighten the load he’d be carrying. Keeping to Roman’s injured side Nicholas moved, half leading half guiding Roman from the clearing before following a small wild trail that lead through the forest. As they walked Roman spoke. “You fought well. Good thinking using the rocks for cover.”

Nicholas blushed slightly at the compliment. “Thanks. Figured anything to slow them down would help.”

Roman nodded again. “Tell me…..did you notice anything odd about the wolves?”

Nicholas remained silent for a few moments as he thought back, but shook his head a second later. “No. Should I have?

This time it was Roman who shrugged. “They weren't forest wolves. You could tell from their fur and the pads on their paws. Their fur was short, means they had shelter that protected them from the wind and rain. Also their pads were denser, more callused than would be normal for a forest wolf. If I had to guess I’d say they were cave wolves who recently got evicted from their cave.”

Nicholas looked sideways at him. “Is that normal? Should we alert the villagers?”

Roman shook his head. “No need. A bear probably wandered in and took a liking to the cave. The wolves came back but couldn't overpower the bear, so they've been living in that clearing. They'll probably skulk a ways down the coast and find a new domain to rule. Nothing to worry about. Just the natural order of the wilds.”

Nicholas nodded, but made a mental note just in case he or Roman was asked about what had happened. Moving through the woods was for them, and the sun was high above them and well into the afternoon before they were back at the village. As they neared the guarded front gate Nicholas noticed several merchants watching them as they passed, no doubt trying to make sense of Roman’s Injuries. As they moved under the stone wall and into the village one of the guard’s standing before the gate spoke. “What happened?”

Roman shook his head. “A injury of carelessness. Was dispatching the nearby wolves and I let my guard down.”

The guard nodded before jerking his thumb over his shoulder. “Take him to Lady Helga. She'll help with the pain and healing. Her place is just to the right.”

Nodding in response Nicholas and Roman continued onwards, turning right as the guard had instructed them before moving down the small alley that lined the wall and the houses. After a few moments a structure met their gaze, a simple long house; having been squeezed into the alley. A small wooden sign hung above the door, a picture of a planet and cross covering its surface; the universal symbol of a healer. As they neared the building Nicholas moved forward, pushing the door open and stepping inside so as to hold the door open for Roman.

The air inside the building was a stark contrast to the village. The heavy smell of herbs and incense filled the air, making Nicholas cough as he drew his first few breaths. From the rafters hung dozens of bundles of dried herbs, while several shelves dotted the walls; each of them filled with jars full of who knows what. As Roman limped into the building a cool female voice spoke from behind Nicholas. “How can I help you?”

It was Roman who spoke, bowing his head slightly as Nicholas shut the door behind him before turning to face the healer. “I injured my leg fighting some wolves. Was hoping you could help heal it, or at least dull the pain.” The healer remained silent for a moment, continuing to watch them. After a second of silence Roman added. “We can pay you.”

Those words seemed to make up the healer’s mind. The healer moved, turning her back on them before waving and gesturing for them to follow her. Doing as she’d indicated Nicholas and Roman moved, following the healer out of the front room they were in before stepping into a dark, dimly lit hallway that lead deeper into the building. As they walked Nicholas took a moment to look this healer up and down. She was young, probably around the same age he was. Her skin was dark, the same color of roasted caramel. She had dark red hair that had become matted into dreadlocks which she'd tied into a ponytail. Her clothes were what he'd expected; a kind of green gown that covered her chest and legs while leaving her arms uncovered and free to work.

Coming to a stop the woman gestured towards a doorway. “Inside.”

Doing as they'd been instructed Nicholas allowed Roman to step into the room first before following him inside. Inside the room a small cot had been set up and covered with a sheet so as to keep it clean. The floor was covered in a large but simple brown rug and lining one of the walls were a few chairs for people to sit and watch. Light streamed in from a window, providing a surprising amount of illumination despite the building being in an alley.

“Lie down and expose the wound.”

Nicholas Stepped back, watching as Roman grimaced; managing to pull down his trousers and expose his leg and the large gash the wolf had made. Slowly Roman moved, getting to his knees before lying down on the cot. The wound had started to scab over, made evident when healer knelt down and started to undress the wound. Nicholas watched from the chair he’d sat down in as Roman grunted in discomfort as the bandages clung slightly to the scabs that had formed. After a few moments the healer spoke. “The cuts are deep. Dey’ll need to be cleaned or d’ey could get infected. If ya want I can use magics.”

As she spoke her hands started to glow a soft blue light as if to prove she could do what she’d said. But Roman shook his head. “I…..don’t think we can afford that. Can you just clean it and sew it shut?”

The healer nodded, Nicholas noting her shoulders slumping slightly. “A course I can. Remain here while if fetch me kit.”

With that the healer left, walking past Nicholas who remained where he was. Once he was sure the healer was out of earshot he spoke. “Why don’t you let her use her magic? It WOULD heal you faster.”

But Roman shook his head. “No. Sewing and cleaning with be enough. It’s not that bad. I’ve had much worse before.”

Nicholas remained silent. If the scars that dotted Roman’s body were any indication, what he said was true. He had been through worse injuries before. But Nicholas knew better, knew what Roman had said was only half the truth. “You know…...not all people who have magic are dangerous. Some of them want to help.”

Roman shifted, looking sideways at him. “Yes, I know. But that doesn't make me feel any better. I’d just rather not have her magic influencing my body. And that is my choice to make.”

Again Nicholas sighed. What Roman had said was true, it was his choice. But that didn't change his feelings. He'd been a bit shocked when he’d learned of Roman’s stance of magic; that mages, sorcerers, witches and others who practitioned it were dangerous and should be watched closely. He'd tried to ask about it, to figure out why the normally open minded and kind warrior felt so strongly about the subject. But he'd never gotten a response, with Roman either dodging the question or refusing to answer. For a moment he considered bringing the subject up again. But before he’d even opened his mouth the healer returned with a small box under her arm.

Falling silent Nicholas watched as the healer knelt down before opening the box and removing its contents. From his spot in the chair Nicholas watched as the healer pulled out a small vial of blue paste before showing it to Roman. “Lavender and Aconite for da pain. Yer not allergic, right?”

Roman shook his head. In response the healer moved, removing the cork from the vial before turning it upside down and letting the blue paste spill over Roman’s leg. Once the vial was empty the healer began to work the paste into the skin, working with her thumb and finger to spread it over the injury and the surrounding skin. Slowly Nicholas watched as Roman’ leg began to relax as the paste began to work. From where he lay on the cot Roman groaned weakly. “That’s….better…”

The healer chuckled. “Buts only temporary, so that you don't thrash around when I sew you back up. Thought…..for a few coins I can give you something to take later so as to keep da pain away for longer.”

Despite the obvious relaxing effect the paste was having on Roman, Nicholas rolled his eyes at her offer. Roman didn’t respond, instead moving to lay his head on the pillow at the head of the cot. Once the paste was fully worked into Roman’s skin the healer shifted. Producing a long thread and a small needle from the box. As she leaned over Roman’s thigh she spoke. “So, who's leg am I sewing up today. Do I get ta know Yer name?”

Roman nodded into the pillow, before lifting his head slightly to speak. “I'm Roman. This…” Roman gestured to Nicholas. “...is Nicholas.”

The healer nodded, starting to thread the needle as she spoke. “Ma name is Helga. Pleased ta meet ya Roman and Nicholas.”

Remained silent Nicholas watched as Helga readied herself, leaning over Roman’s leg before……

Despite the relaxing salve there was no mistaking Roman’s pained grunt as the tip of the needle slowly disappeared into his leg. Nicholas shifted, doing his best to remain silent as Helga worked. As she worked she spoke. “Da cuts are clean, no dirt or debris inside them. Dat’s good, means less chance of infection. You'll have a scar for sure, but dat should be da worst of it.”

Despite himself Nicholas chuckled and spoke, the words slipping from his mouth before he realized he’d said them. “What’s a few more?”

Helga paused for a moment, looking at him as if to ask when he meant before deciding against it and returning to Roman’s leg. To her credit she worked quickly, her hands making the same motions over as she worked to close up the injuries. Despite this Nicholas squirmed in his chair, the sounds of Roman’s pained grunting making him feel like he should be doing something to try and help.

Slowly the light in the room shifted, changing the room and making it appear in a faint orange light. After what felt like an hour Helga moved, pulling the needle up and through Roman’s skin for the final time before quickly looping the thread around to make sure it wouldn't come loose. As she finished she spoke. “No runnin or jumpin. An no fightin if ya can avoid it. Or ya might tear the thread.”

From where he lay in the cot Roman nodded before responding, his voice a bit hoarse. “Y-yeah.”

Slowly Roman moved, turning over so he was lying on his uninjured side before moving down to try and pull his pants back up. This time Nicholas didn't stay still, instead getting up and moving to help Roman pull up his pants while Helga put away the needle and vial shed used. “Will ya be wanting something for pain?”

Biting his at the question Nicholas shifted, looking sideways at Roman. Roman’s face was covered in sweat, his normal tan skin had become a few shades lighter and he could see the tension in Roman’s jaw; a sign that it was clenched in pain. Looking back to Helga Nicholas nodded. “Yes, that would be appreciated.”

From where he lay Roman added, “But nothing to powerful. Just….to take the edge off.”

Helga nodded. “Of course. When you're ready, meet me at da front of the store. I'll have yer order ready by then.”

A moment later she got to her feet, offering them a small bow before leaving the room. Shifting so Roman could stand up, Nicholas watched as his companion gingerly got to his feet. As Roman moved Nicholas noted how the leg Helga had just stitched up wobbled slightly. Moving quickly he retrieved Roman’s crutch, quickly offering it to Roman who took it gleefully. “Thanks.”

Nicholas nodded, allowing Roman to take the lead and guide him from the room. Slowly they both made their way down the hallway and back towards the front of the store where Helga had directed them. Sure enough as they emerged into the store front they found Helga behind the counter, wrapping what was presumably their order into a small pouch. As they approached she looked up. A moment later she moved, offering Nicholas the pouch shed been preparing. “Aconite tea. Brew it whenever da pain becomes too much. It’ll take some time da work but it’ll help.”

Nodding in understand Nicholas took the pouch, opening it so he could see its contents. Inside were a dozen or so small bags of tea, each of them separate and ready for brewing. Closing the pouch and stowing it in his belt Nicholas looked to Helga. “Ok. How much do we own you?”

Helga shifted, her hand going to her chin as she thought for a moment. Then, “nine kop in all.”

Nicholas raised an eyebrow at her answer. In the city they could have gotten magical healing for that price. “That seems a bit much.”

Helga nodded. “Perhaps it is. But I don’t get to charge da villagers much, else they raise a fuss. Sides’, having to use da salve and tea bags means I don’t have them anymore. So ill gotta buy new ones. Hence the cost.”

Rolling his eyes Nicholas dug into his coin purse. He knew what she was saying was true, and no doubt the herbs used to brew the tea would take time to acquire and prepare. But it still felt like she was charging way more than they were worth. Nevertheless he set her money on the counter, spreading the coins a bit so she could see. After a moment Helga smiled, her own hand coming to swipe the coins. “Thanka for your business.”

Nodding, Nicholas turned, following Roman out of the shop and back into the alleyway. Moving slowly Nicholas followed Roman, noting that Roman’s injured leg still shook slightly as he walked; even with the use of his crutch.

Slowly they made their way down and alley and back out into the main road. But once they stepped back onto the stone street Roman stopped, before turning to look at Nicholas. “We still need to deliver news of the wolves to the anocote family. But, then again…..I could really use a time to lie down and rest.”

Nodding in agreement Nicholas spoke. “Let’s go back to the inn. You can rest while I deliver the news and the paws. Ok?”

Roman nodded back, a small expression of gratitude flickering through his face before they set out. Following the stone paved street, Nicholas and Roman did their best to ignore the throngs of people that filled their path. All around them people were laughing and talking, occasionally ducking into the shops that lined the streets or pausing to talk with otter passersby. But they ignored this, heading back to the inn they were staying at. Ducking into the building Roman and Nicholas wasted no time, making their way through the bar, up the stairs and to the room they’d rented. Closing the door behind them Nicholas turned, watching silently as Roman set his crutch against the bed before gingerly laying down on his stomach as he’d done on the cot before.

Stepping forward Nicholas moved, sitting himself on the edge of the bed. “Are you ok? Should I brew some of the tea?”

From where he lay Roman shook his head, turning to look at him. “No, not yet. Save it till I need it.”

Nicholas remained silent, watching as Roman lay on the bed breathing deeply. After a few moments he spoke again. “Will….will you be ok if I leave to turn in the paws and collect our pay?”

This time Roman nodded. “Yeah. I’ll be ok. I’ll just lay here for a bit.”

Nicholas nodded. “O…..ok.”

Despite his words he didn’t move, remaining where he was on the bed. He felt bad. He knew Roman was in pain, anyone could see that. But…..

As if Roman knew what he was thinking, he spoke. “I was telling the truth when I said I’d been through worse. No matter what its gunna hurt, but I can handle it. I’ll be ok. I’ve dealt with much more lethal injuries, sometimes even without a healer’s aid. So no fussing over me. Go now; their house is the big one at the top of the hill and collect our pay. Gods know our purse needs it.”

Nicholas nodded again before getting to his feet. “Ill be back soon.”

Roman nodded, laying his head back down on the pillow before closing his eyes. Biting his lip Nicholas struggled to move. He wanted to stay with Roman, to do something, anything to comfort him. But he knew if he tried to argue Roman would still tell him to go. It took a great of effort for him to cross the room and pull open the door, giving Roman one final look before stepping out into the hallway and closing the door behind him.

\--------------

The sun was setting now, the shadows stretching out; looking like they belonged to giants and not mere mortals. Nicholas moved quickly, making his way up the streets and past the groups of people who had gathered at the bistros and cafes that had sprung up along the streets.

He was hungry, true; in fact his stomach rumbled deeply as if pleading him to stop and eat. But he ignored his hunger, pushing onwards towards the manor at the top of the hill. As he neared the manor he could just make out the form of someone standing in a large window that overlooked the entrance.

Turning and stepping onto the property Nicholas quickly made his way to the front, ignoring the well kept grasses and plants and a sculpted statue that decorated one of the walls that lined the property. Stepping up to door he rapped his knuckles firmly against the door. From inside he could hear the sounds of movement, someone speaking and coming closer. Stepped back a little Nicholas watched as the door opened, revealing a young man of maybe 25, dressed in a set of fine linen trousers and a smoking jacket.

For a moment there was silence, as Nicholas and the man looked each other up and down. After a second the man spoke, his tone slightly bemused. “Can I help you?”

Nicholas nodded. “You hired a hunter to drive away the local wolves. I’m here to collect his pay.”

The man raised an eyebrow at him. “And why didn’t he come himself.”

Nicholas shifted, moving his weight from one leg to another. “He’s resting now. He got injured during the battle. But I’m here to collect his pay, and I also have paws from the wolves we killed.”

The man continued to stand there, his face twisted in a half smirking smile. After a few moments he stepped aside and gestured for Nicholas to come inside. “Come in; I'll have your pay in a moment.”

Stepping into the house Nicholas followed the man who led him through the house and towards a large sitting room. Dotting the floor were several cushions and poofs for people to sit on. In the middle of the room was a large hookah pipe, the smell coming from it a tell tale sign of its recent usage.

“Take a seat anywhere.”

Choosing the nearest poof Nicholas dropped himself down, allowing the soft fabric seat to comfort him slightly. As he did so he noted the soft intake of breath the man let out, and the slight twitch of annoyance on the man’s face. No doubt the man was worried that the blood and gore that still coated his clothing would stain the poof’s undoubtedly expensive fabric. After a few moments the man spoke again. “did you manage to kill any wolves during your hunt?”

Nicholas nodded. “yeah, seven. I have their paws right here.”

As he spoke Nicholas gestured to the pouch that carried the severed paws. The man remained silent for a moment, his eyes flickering down to the pouch that Nicholas had indicated. “I’ll be back with your pay. Excuse me for a moment.”

With that the man turned, walking back down the hallway and out of sight. The room fell Into silence as the man left, leaving Nicholas alone. Sighing to himself Nicholas shifted, noting the woven tapestry that hung on one of the walls. The tapestry was large, taking up almost the entire wall. Embroidered into the fabric was a scene of shepherds and their flock grazing along a country pasture. Towards the center of the tapestry was a scene of summer. The same shepherds as before now cutting and shearing the wool from the same sheep they'd herded previously. And finally on the far right a scene of those same sheep frolicing and rynning in the feilds again.

In a way he supposed it was cute. But the sheer size of the tapestry and the obvious expensive of the threads it was woven from, it was all a reminder to him. A reminder of why he disliked most people who had a lot of coin. They were arrogant, and spent more time showing off how much coin they had rather than putting the coin to good use. But the sound of footsteps was rapidly growing louder, turning his attention Nicholas watched as the man from before returned, a small leather bound satches in his hand. “here.”

A moment later the satchel was airborn, having been tossed at him. Reacting instantly he snatched the satchel from the air. As he did so he raised an eyebrow. He was certainly no expert but…...the bag seemed light. Pulling open the leather chord binding Nicholas peered I side quickly counting the glinting gold coin. After a few seconds his eyebrows furrowed in a frown. “youre short.”

The man, who had already begun to leave the room again, paused; turning to look at him. Nicholas felt his jaw clench slightly as he found the man’s face had twisted into a slightly amused smile. “yes, but your conpanion didnt follow through with his end of the bargain.”

Nicholas shifted, getting to his feet, his expression not changing. “how so? We drove the wolves away and brought you paws as proof. Here they are….” as he spoke he grabbed the bottom of the pouch holding the paws, yanking it upwards so that the severed paws fell to the floor like a bundle of bloody sticks. There was no mistaking it this time. The man’s lips pursed into an angry line, no doubt bothered by the bloody pile now laying on his floor. For Nicholas the man’s expression was a small victory, a way to piss him off after he tried to cheat them. “...and the deal was three extra Kop per paw. We brought seven paws. So you owe us 21 extra kop. But you only gave us 14. YOURE SHORT.”

He said the last part with a bit more force, making it clear he wouldnt be backing down. In response the man shifted, his eyes flickering to thr bloodied pile of paws before responding. “the deal was that your companiom bring us the paws for three extra Kop each. But hes not here, you are. So you'll earn two extra instead because the terms of the deal were not fully met.”

Nicholas felt his blood boil and rage in his veins. Contract terms? Thats what the man was quibbling about and using to try and justify cheating them? Taking a deep breath Nicholas moved, adopting a casual stance. “I would think youd be smarter than this.”

The man raised an eyebrow, his smug smile not leaving his face. “oh, how so?”

Nicholas shrugged. “Well, for one you paid us the drive the wolves away. How hard do you think it would be for us to draw them back here? Then your problem starts all over again.” as he spoke he watched the man’s face, noting with satisfaction that the smug smile had faultered slightly. Resisting the urge to smile Nicholas continued. “Now like any decent group the hunters talk and communicate with each other. So the others will hear that you shorted one of them. So they'll be less likely to take on future contracts. And not just from you, but possibly even your whole family.”

The smile faltered a little more, a look on worry flickering through the man's face. But still Nicholas contiued. “Not only that but you’d end up having to hire guards to either watch over all your herds, or risk losing a lot more sheep to predators and poachers. So that would certainly hurt your family’s profits. And lastly…..” as he spoke Nicholas moved, raising his hand so as to let it casually rest against the hilts of his daggers which were still strapped to his hip. “you’re an aristocrat, probably been handed everything youve ever wanted, all your life. And me….” his hand drifted, his fingers tracing the grain of his dagger’s hilt. “....im a guy that killed a bunch of wolves and wants his pay. And you’re trying to CHEAT me.” As he spoke the word his hand shifted, gripping the hilt of his dagger as if he meant to pull it out.

His words had the desired effect. There was no stopping the amused smile from spreading across his face as the man shifted nervous, swallowing a bit while his eyes flickered to Nicholas’s hand and daggers. After a few seconds the man spoke. “I-I see your point. Here.”

A moment later the man’s hand dipped into his pocket producing several coins before tossing them into the air and towards Nicholas. As the coins arced through the air Nicholas counted them, noting that in the man’s haste he’d throw nine coins, not seven. Snatching the coins out of the air Nicholas made sure to give the man a small smirk as he added the extra coins to the ouch he’d been given earlier. “Thank you. A pleasure doing business for you. I’ll see myself out.”

His smile widened a bit as he moved, half stepping towards the man whose eyes widened, and hastily took a small step backwards. Chuckling to himself Nicholas moved passed the man, stepping back into the hallway and making his way to the front door and out of the lavish estate. As a final insult to the man Nicholas left the front door open, quickly making his way from the property and back to the road. He was glad the man had seen it his way; his entire argument had been a bluff after all. He wasn't a hunter, so he didn’t have any real connection to them. And while Roman would certainly report the new of being cheated to his fellow hunter; the group was desperate for money. But not so desperate that they could ignore paying contracts; so likely little would have come from his complaints. Luckily though the man had paid, and the whole ordeal was behind them.

Shifting as he worked Nicholas quickly added the new coin they’d earned to the pouch containing their money; smiling as the pouch grew in weight. They were still a lot lighter than he’d like to be, but what they did have could last them for a bit. And with tomorrow being the festival perhaps they’d get lucky and the local restraints would be offering cheaper prices on their food. Hurrying back to the inn Nicholas pushed open the heavy wooden door, wincing slightly as the sounds of drinking and merriment washed over him like a tidal wave. Dozens of people had packed themselves into the bar, and were busy singing and drinking.

S tepping into the bar area Nicholas struggled to move, waking against the throng of people who were tightly packed into the space. As he struggled to make his way towards the stairs, Nicholas studied the crowd. Most of the people here seemed to be villagers. Several large burly men, with muscles rippling under their shirts were drinking and shouting; a few of them had arranged themselves and were now arm wrestling, no doubt the looser having to buy the winners drinks. A few women were in the bar too. A young server girl Nicholas hadn't seen before worked her way through the bar; a tray of drinks held above her head. A few others dotted the bar, some of them watching the men arm wrestle while others milled around the bard in the corner; who seemed to be playing a low soft song.

There seemed to be a few outsiders too. Several men wore clothing very different from the loose fitting shirts and pants worn by the villagers. These travelers were tan skinned, each of them having some form of slightly elaborate facial hair; ranging from a simple mustache to a chest length beard. Their clothes were almost the exact opposite of the villagers, with thick fabrics wrapped tightly around their forms. On their belts Nicholas could easily see the glint of ornate dagger hilts.

Grunting as he managed to make it to the staircase Nicholas quickly made his way up the stairs, pausing for a moment to look back at the gathering of people below. The whole air of the bar was cheerful and happy, no doubt the villagers and visitors excited for the festival that would take place tomorrow. Remaining for only a moment longer Nicholas quickly made his way down the hallway towards his and Roman’s room. Opening the door as quietly as he could Nicholas silently slipped into the room, noting the sound of Roman’s soft snoring as he shut the door behind him. In front of him he could see Roman laid out on his stomach; snoring softly. Moving as quietly as he could Nicholas quickly stripped off his shirt and pants, choosing to keep his underwear on before slowly clambering into the bed next to Roman.

For a moment he pondered waking Roman, to alert the large warrior that he had returned. But almost instantly he decided against it. What Roman had said was true, he needed rest of his body was to heal quickly. Moving slowly Nicholas adjusted his body; rolling over to lie on his side facing away from Roman. Closing his eyes Nicholas willed himself to relax. In truth it didn’t take much; his body ached, his muscles sore and worn from the effort of the day’s events. In truth it felt good to lie down and rest and soon enough Nicholas found himself drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

==========

The throngs of people were truly impressive. From where they sat eating their breakfast Nicholas watched as men, woman and children milled about the town’s streets. The population in the village seemed to have doubled, with almost as many visitors; clearly distinguished by their clothing moving through the crowds of villagers. Through the air the sounds of musuc wafted mixing with the smells og freshly baked breads, newly cured and cut meats and the faint scents of fruits. All of these mixing and swirling together in a way that seemed to lift Nicholas’s spirits without him even partaking in them. Even Roman seemed to be in slightly better spirits, although he still used his crutch to get around.

Finishing their breakfast Nicholas downed the last of his water while Roman calmly sipped his tea. After a moment Nicholas spoke. “So did you wanna check out the festival today?”

Roman chuckled before nodding. “of course. it was one of the reasons we came here after all.”

N icholas nodded. His eyes going ti a large posted that had been plastered on aa nearby wall. On the poster illustrations of entertainment boasted about the events being offered at the celebration. From where they were sitting he could see images of jugglers, merchants and knights performing in some kind of a tourney, but the rest of the poster was to blurry from this distance. But the sound of a soft grunt made his attention shift, going back to Roman. Silently he watched as Roman struggled to get to his feet, his expression contorting in discomfort as he moved. Remaining silent Nicholas bit his lip. Part of him really wanted to go to the festival and spend time with Roman there. To forget their duties and just revel in the joy and meriment of the day. But on the other hand, the positioning of Roman’s injury meant hed be in pain with every step he took.

Softly he spoke. “h-hows your leg?”

Roman looked at him before shrugging. “it hurts. No surprise. But itll be fine in a few days.”

Buting his lip again Nicholas continued. “if…...if it's hurting you to much…..we could hold off on the festival. You should rest so it heals quickly.”

Roman looked at him, a faint expression of confusion flickering across his face for a moment before being replaced by a small smile. “boy, look at me.” as he spoke Roman gestured to his chest. “do I look like im made of glass?” Nicholas shoom his head and Roman continued. “do I look like some pale skinned princess?” again Nicholas shoom his head. This time Roman nodded in agreement. “because I am not. Im a hunter, and while I did get hurt its not life threatening or critial. Now….ill admit the idea of a nap later in…..inviting. but for now, let us vo and enjoy the festival. Ok?”

Smiling sheepishly Nicholas nodded. “ok.”

Following Roman’s lead Nicholas go to his feet, smiling as a young boy came up to collext their plates and dishes as they left the cafe. Stepping into the street Nicholas shifted, doing his bestbto stay at Roman’s side as they slowly made their way through the crowds. “so, what would you like to see first?”

Roman shrugged. “why not check out the tourney? It could be fun to watch, even if I can't compete like last time.”

Nicholas smiled, his mind recalling the last tourney Roman had entered. They'd been in a bigger city than this, and while they hadn’t outright won Roman had managed to collect a purse of 50 kop while he, Nicholas had ‘acquired’ a few coins of his own. Moving through the crowd Nicholas and Roman soon found themselves swept away from the shops and cafe’s that dotted the center of the village and their inn. Instead they found themselves herded eastward, down a few small side streets before stepping through a secondary gate that led outside the village. But unlike the other entrance they'd used before, there were no merchants here; instead stables and horse paddocks lines the sides of the road. One of the paddocks had been cleared, with several bales of hay having been broken up and spread around so as to hopefully protect the tourney competitors from the mud and horse shit. Around the paddock a crowd had assembled, no doubt to watch the fighters compete.

Indeed as Nicholas and Roman moved closer to the crowd gathered around the paddock,the sounds of combat quickly reached their ears. Peering through the crowd Nicholas could just make out the forms of two fighters. One was large, carrying a great two handed sword which he swung through the air like a giant cleaver. The other warrior carried a sword and a small buckler strapped to his arm. Both contest’s weapons had were wrapped in thick leather guards so as to keep them for truly hurting the other. He watched as the smaller warrior with the sword and buckle darted forward, his sword almost a blur as it slashed through the air at his opponent. A second later the crowd cheered thunderously as the warrior’s sword connected loudly with his opponent’s chestplate signalling a point.

The fights then broke apart, each retreating to the opposite side of the paddock to rest for a brief moment. But only for a moment, both of them jumped to their feet as the person managing the tourney blew a loud whistle signalling the start of the next bought. Next to him Roman spoke. “hmmmm. A two handed sword has power. He could probably knock his enemies to the ground in a single strike. But the swashbuckler has speed, so he could just avoid the attacks. This match should be interesting.”

Nicholas nodded, cheering with the crowd as the man with the greatsword rushed forward, managing to plant the flat of his blade against the swashbuckler’s chest before lifting him off his feet with a violent push. Nicholas watched as the smaller man hurtles backwards, crashing into the ground with a loud thud. A second later the larger man was upon him, lifting his foot up before bringing it down on the smaller man’s chest; pinning him down. A moment later the horn blew, signaling a point in favor of the larger warrior who bellowed loudly to the deafening applause of the crowd. Movement next to him broke Nicholas’s attention, turning to see Roman slowly moving from him and towards a series of stacked crates that had been set up as makeshift seating. There was no mistaking the slight favoring of his uninjured in Roman’s walk.

Moving to follow Roman Nicholas watched as he slowly sat down, his expression changing and relaxing slightly. Sitting down next to his companion Nicholas spoke softly. “You ok?”

Roman nodded, “Yeah. I’m fine. Just couldn't stand there all day like you can. Sitting is easier for me.”

Nicholas nodded, feeling slightly embarrassed that he hadn't considered this. Of course sitting would be easier for Roman. Falling silent Nicholas sat there, a slight feeling of awkward shame welling up in his stomach. But a moment later he jolted slightly, as he felt Roman’s hand touch his shoulder. “Hey, none of that. It slipped your mind. Nothing more. You weren’t trying to be cruel. You just didn’t realize. So there’s no need to feel bad. Ok?”

Nodding slowly Nicholas remained silent. Despite what Roman had said he still could feel the knot of guilt in his stomach for making Roman experience any form of pain, even if it had been an accident. He didn’t want to cause Roman any pain, ever; he only wanted-

But the rest of his thoughts were cut off as he felt a hand touch the back of his head. Before he had a chance to blink he found his and Roman’s lips pressed together in a gentle but firm kiss. For a moment his brain struggled to catch up and only after a few seconds did he realize what was happening. But by then Roman had removed his hand, allowing Nicholas to pull away slightly in surprise. Nicholas felt his face flush a deep red as he found Roman smiling slyly at him. For a few seconds they stayed like this, smiling and blushing at each other.

The laughter that followed felt natural. As if some great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, taking with it his worry and guilt he’d been feeling. Next to him Roman laughed too, his deep voice somehow lifting Nicholas’s spirits a bit. Making him feel less guilty and nore at ease.

They stayed like this for a time, watching the contestants conpete in the tourney. As they sat watching Roman talked, pointing out the styles and techniques the fighters were using as they battled each other. At other times Nicholas would speak, offering ways the warriors might circumvent the other’s style and win the matches. A few times they wagered amungst themselves, betting not coin but who would carry what when they set out again. High above them the sun moved, slowly making its way across the sky until it was high above them. Around noon or so, wandering peddlers began to appear. Calling to the crowd offering bits of food to those who were hungry. Instantly Nicholas flagged one down, handing him a single Kop in exchange for an apple for himself and a pare for Roman.

Eating the fruit they continued to watch, cheering on the contestants as the tourney went on. The sun had just started to move, having reached the pinical of its arc and now starting to decline when Roman shifted and spoke. “I think ill retire back to the inn for a bit.”

Looking at him Nicholas noted the way Roman was sitting, his weight shifted; trying to keep it off his injured leg. Nodding slightly Nicholas responded. “ill come wi-"

But his words broke off as Roman shook his head. “no child. Its ok. Im going to nap anyways. And I know youve been enjoying thr tourney. Stay and watch, see who wins. THEN come back. Enjoy the day. Ok?”

Opening his mouth to protest Nicholas stopped, recalling what Roman had said that morning about not being a glass princess. After a few moments he nodded in agreement. “I…...ok. ill see if I can bring us up some food when I return.”

Roman nodded. “that sounds great. See you then.”

Remaining silent Nicholas nodded, watching as romam slowly got to his feet before grabbing his crutch and slowly walking back towards the village. Ad Roman’s form vanished into thr crowd Nicholas should slightly, becoming aware of just how many people were around him. The crowd watching the match had grown, and now there seemed to be a sea of people on all sides of him. Hed always been a bit nervous around crowds, an odd condition for a former thief to have. It wasn't that he was scared. But….as someone who knew how to pickpockets and cutpurses he was keenly aware of how easy a target he was when he was alone in a crowd of this size.

He tried to keep calm, tried to keep the hairs on the back of his neck from prickling. Tried to keep goosebumps from spreading across his arms and legs. But this proved impossible as the crowd seemed to drown him out, making him feel small and vulnerable if they decided to turn on him. Quickly getting to his feet Nicholas moved, moving through the crowd as fast as he could as he made his way back to the village. His hand tightly held the purse of coins he carried. Roman trusted him with their money. He couldn't risk losing it and letting Roman’s trust go in vein. Emerging from the other side of the crown Nicholas stepped onto the side, leaning against the stone and mortar wall that encircled the village. For some reason his heart was pounding, as if hed just been fighting the wolves again. he forced himself to be still, to take deep breaths and try to relax the burning itching feelings that were wriggling through his skin.

For several minutes he stayed like this, leaning against the wall, his skin itching and burning, breathing slowly to calm himself. Only once his heartbeat had returned to normal did he move, straightening up and stepping back out onto the street. Taking another deep breath Nicholas shifted, looking around to see what was around him.

He was standing in an intersection. To his right on one of the corners a jester was juggling a set of brightly colored balls to the amusement of a group of kids. On his left a minstrel was entertaining a group of adults, the sounds from his lute mixing with the melodious sound of his words making his audience occasionally toss coins into a hat that was places on the ground. Further down the street Nicholas could see several merchant stalls, no doubt set up for a bizarre for people to shop at. Making his choice Nicholas moved, massing the minstrel playing for the group of women as he made his way towards the bazaar that had been set up.

Slipping into the smaller crowd Nicholas made his way along the rows of stalls. The sights of glinting jewelry, freshly cooked meats, bundles of collected herbs and dozens of small trinkets and baubles lined the stalls. For the most part he ignored the items for sale. Occasionally he'd pause, eyeing some item of interest; but each time he moved away after a few seconds later. In truth he didn't need these items; yes they would have been nice to have but he certainly didn't need them. Continuing through the crowd Nicholas’s attentions shifted, drifting from the stalls and their merchandise and instead focusing on the people around him.

He could tell most of the people were locals. Their thin fabriced shirts and pants, their tan skin from working in the sun making it rather obviouse. Others were dressed in simple but clean shirts and pants, inlaid with small embroidery flourishes that told Nicholas they were from the imperial city. A few people were truely foreigners; swathed in thick fabrics that clung to theie bodies like armor with their daggers tucked into their belts in a reapectful but clear manor. As he wandered through the crowd he picked up on snippets of their conversations.

“come, lets go see the dueling.”

“these prices are much to high. Id pay-”

“we can't keep the boy locked up. Not with that old bat raising such a fuss.”

Nicholas’s feet stoped, his brain struggling for a moment to process what hed heard. In front of him the men who haf spoken were walking, their clothes told him they were locals, but ublike the others their skin was not tan but instead pale. A pair of gret traverls cloacks hung from their shoulders. They spoke in normal volumed voices, but im a dialect of norther tongue that Nicholas knew few people in this part of the world spoke. The only reason he understood it was because hed been forced to learn it as a child..

Moving quickly so he could fall in step behind them Nicholas frowned as he continued to listen. Could they be talking about the woman who grabbed him before? 

Doing his best to follow them without beinf obvious Nicholas mobed, always staying a stro or two behind the men whole doing his best to seem like he was looking around.

“the woman is of no consequence. No one beleives her ravings. We're in the clear. And after the ceremony and sacrifice tomorrow night there wont be any evidence either. Just a raving mad woman no one belives.”

Nicholas’s eyes widened. The men WERE talking about the woman whod grabbed him before. not only that but it sounded like they had something to do with the disappearance of the boy the woman was looking for.


	3. Chapter 3

“We must be careful. The seas are already starting to dry up. If the sacrifice does not go well, or if Karkinos isn’t satisfied with the boy……his wrath will be unpleasant. He may even demand more sacrifices. Nothing must interfere with tomorrow night.”

Following their path as the men wove their way through the crowds Nicholas watched the en suddenly split off from the main street; ducking into a small stone path that led between two rows of homes. Biting his lip Nicholas darted before hiding himself at the entrance to the path. If he tilted his head slightly he could watch the men moving up the path while remaining hidden. But from here he’d no longer be able to hear what the men were saying. Doing his best to remain hidden Nicholas watched as the men moved up the path before suddenly turning again and ducking into some kind of alleyway or courtyard. Moving as quickly as he could so as not to lose the men Nicholas scurried down the pathway, nothing that the sounds of the festival seemed oddly cut off and muffled between the rows of houses. Quickly moving up the path Nicholas for the place the men had ducked into, a small courtyard that had been set up as a place for the surrounding houses to come and hang their laundry.

Just s he’d done before Nicholas moved, planting his back against one of the houses, his ears straining to listen for the sounds of the men’s voices. Yet try and he might he could hear another. Perhaps the men had slipped through another path he could not see without stepping in further? Taking a deep breath Nicholas chanced a further look, sticking his head out further as he peered into the small courtyard area. In front of him and above, linens and sheets fluttered in the slight breeze; looking like a row of multicolored captured ghosts. All the doors to the homes that lined the sides were closed and no doubt bolted while their occupants were at the festival. The courtyard was deserted save for an old well which had been built into the center of the yard. Even from where he stood Nicholas could see the boards and planks that had been used to cover the well’s opening, the symbol for disease hastily painted on them.

Nicholas’s brow furrowed. He was sure he'd followed the men's path correctly. Hed noted the pile of scrabbed wood the men had walked past when they’d entered this yard. Hed made sure to pass the same pile and yet…..the men had vanished. Seeming to have simply blinked out of existence without a trace. Abandoning his attempts to be stealthy Nicholas moved, his hand going to his dagger as he slowly stepped into the yard. He was alone, completely alone save for the sheets and linens that flitted softly. Just to be sure he walked the yard, making two complete circles around the well incase the men had ducked behind the well. He even inspected the well itself, seeing no gaps or spaces for the men to sleep into. For a moment he considered testing the boards that covered the entrance, but decided against it. If the well truly was diseased he didn't want to risk unleashing the illness on the nearby homes.

Giving the yard one final look Nicholas felt his frown deepen. Where had the men gone? There were no other exits, no obvious paths out of the yard besides the one he had used. Perhaps the men had scaled the walls of the houses? But he discarded that idea. He would have heard them. The men had simply….vanished.

Chewing his lip in confusion Nicholas moved, slowly leaving the yard before making his way back down the alley and out onto the main street. Instantly the sounds of the fair came back, the roar of the crowds, the sound of vendors hawking their wares, and children laughing as they ran and played. Rejoining the crowd Nicholas slowly weaved his way through, heading back to to the inn. As he neared the inn he raised an eyebrow as he found a makeshift drinking area had been setup in front of the doors. Climbing the steps to the porch Nicholas watched as men and woman drank while a few servers had not seen before quickly scurried about bringing people their drinks.

Smiling and stepping back Nicholas held open the door, allowing a young serving girl to rush back into the bar, no doubt to get more drink. As she passed him she smiled, which Nicholas returned a moment later beforr following her inside the bar. Even more people were packed inside, by far the fullest Nicholas had seen the place. Making his way through thebcrowd was difficult, with bodies pushing and knocking him off his path towards the stairs and instead pushing him up to the bar and bartender. As he neared the bartender; the same man from before, looked at him. “whatcha havin?”

Opening his mouth to refuse Nicholas paused, an idea coming to him. “got anything lite on alchole. Just something to toast with?”

The bartender looked at him for a moment before nodding. “some honey ale. And its cheap.”

Nicholas nodded. “will 1 kop get me two mugs?”

The bartender nodded before moving and producing the two mugs from under the bar, along eith a dark brown bottle. As the bartender began to pour out the bottle Nicholas continued. ““hey…..I had a runin with a lafy today.”

The bartender looked at him. “no lass in this village is worth more than 7 kop. I hope you didnt pay more.”

Nicholas felt his cheeks blush slightly as he shook his head. “no. She was older, grabbed me and asked if id seen her son.”

The bartender nodded and sighed softly. “sounds like you met ole Anne. Shes been accosting everyone she meets and asking about her boy.”

Nicholas nodded. “she seems to think somethings happened to him.”

The barman laughed. “yeah. She can't think of whatelse could have happened.”

Nicholas nodded again, speaking carefully to sound like he was uninterested. “so….what do you think happened to him?”

The barman looked up at him. “in truth….there are two answers to that question. The answer that Anne has come up with, and the answer that I think is the truth.”

Nicholas nodded. “which is?”

The man shrugged before pushing the mugs of honey ale towards him. “that the boy is young and young blood craves adventure and excitement. The boy was never happy here. He never wanted the life of a fisher or a dock worker. I remember him. Practically sitting in the bard’s lap when he'd tell tales of adventure and heroes. No doubt the boy jumped in with one of the leaving caravans. Probably hired himself off as a sellsword or a spare hand. He'll be back when he tires of the life.”

Nodding Nicholas took the mugs of ale, carrying them careful as he weaved and jostled through the crowd until he was at the stairs. Hurrying up the steps Nicholas moved quickly, making his way to his and Roman’s room. Pushing open the door Nicholas tried to be quite as he slipped inside, only to find that Roman was already awake and sitting up on the bed. Roman’s eyes were closed and it was clear by his breathing that he was meditating. Clearing his throat slightly Nicholas watched as Roman’s eyes opened before shifting to look at him. “you're back.”

Nicholas nodded, moving forward to hand Roman the mug of honey ale hed bought. As Roman took the mug he spoke. “is the tourney over already?”

Nicholas shook his head. “no. But I…..didn't want to stay any longer”

Nodding at Nicholas’s response Roman took a sip from his mug. Following suit Nicholas spoke a moment later. “remember the woman from before? The one who grabbed me at the gate?”

Roman cocked his head in thought for a moment before nodding. “the one looking for her son? What about her?”

Nicholas moved,sitting down on the bed next to Roman before speaking. “when I was wondering the festival…..I heard some men talking about a boy they were ‘holding' and about a woman who was looking for him. I…..I think they kidnapped the boy.”

Roman raised an eyebrow at that. “Kidnapped?”

Nicholas nodded. “They kept calling him a sacrifice. I think…….they’re gonna hurt him.”

Roman moved, slowly taking another sip from his mug. “Did you gain anything else from these men? Where they might be holding the boy? Or their plans for him?”

Nicholas shook his head. “No. I lost them in an alley. They just vanished it seemed like. I looked but couldn’t find where they’d gone.”

Roman groaned, draining the last of his drink before setting his mug on the windowsill. Nicholas watched as Roman reached down, picking up his sword and tying it to his belt. “show me where you lost them.”

Nicholas nodded, setting his own mug of half drunk ale down before slowly leading Roman from the room, down the hallway, Through the bar crowd and back out onto the streets. The sun was starting to set now, the light changing to that of a dull orangey hue. People still filled the street but the crowds were starting to thin out as people began to head home for dinner and to relax. Moving at a slightly slower pace than he normally would Nicholas led roman back to the bazaar he’d first encountered the men in. the throngs of people were mostly gone now, a few holdouts remained; still haggling with a few select merchants who were still open. Most merchants had packed up though, their stalls having been shut up tight for the night. Turning off the street Nicholas moved, glancing back to make sure roman was still following him before leading him up the alleyway and into the courtyard the men had vanished into. “Here. They ducked in here, but when I looked for them, they were gone.”

Roman nodded, slowly looking around the courtyard. “And you didn’t hear them say anything else?”

Nicholas shook his head. “No. they said the sea was starting to dry up and……they mentioned someone names Karkinos and that if he wasn't pleased he might demand more sacrifices.”

Roman shifted, looking at Nicholas as he spoke. At the name Karkinos roman raised an eyebrow. “Karkinos? You're sure they said Karkinos?”

Nicholas nodded. “Yeah. Why? You know who he is?”

Roman shook his head, beginning to chew his lip in thought. “Karkinos isn’t a person. It’s a monster; a very old, very powerful monster, one of the lords that rules over a plane of the monster realm.”

Nicholas’s eyes widened at this. In truth, despite having traveling with roman for a few months now, he didn’t know much about monsters. True he knew they didn’t come not from this world but beyond that he didn’t know much else. This was the first time he’d ever heard of monster’s ruling over a realm. As if roman could sense his confusion he elaborated. “Monsters come from a realm that runs parallel to ours. In this realm monsters run wild and rampant, but there places where specific monsters have carved out a kind of niche for themselves. And the most powerful ones are the Monster lords who rule over their niches. Kinda like how kings rule over their population.” Biting his lip again, roman moved, bringing his hand to his chin in thought. “Monster lords don’t normally deal with humans. So the fact that this one seemed to have some sort of……deal with these people. That’s concerning. And all this talk of a sacrifice…..even more so.”

Turning his attention back to the courtyard roman looked around, his training now starting to kick in. The courtyard seemed simple enough; one side was made up the back walls of the homes that lined one side, while a smaller freestanding brick wall made up the entrance from the alleyway. Above them several sheets and other linens had been hung out to dry. The alley had no alcoves or gaps for the men to slip out of hide in, in fact the only possible hiding place was an old well that had been boarded up in the middle of the courtyard. “Hmmm.”

Moving towards the well roman examined it closely. The boards covering the opening were worn, no doubt from having been out in the rain and sun for quite some time. The symbol of disease had been painted on their surface, and he could see a few flecks of a slightly different paint were the symbol had needed to be added back as it had faded. And yet…….

Roman’s eyes narrowed; there was something off about the boards. He could see the heads of the nails at the edges of the boards. Unlike the rest of the boards the heads of the nails were smooth, showing no signs of wear or abuse from the elements. Not only that but the closer he looked at the edges of the board the more he became aware that there were no hammer marks where the board had been struck while the nail. As he looked ovee the boards roman felt Nicholas move in, coming to stand next to him. “what is it?”

Roman shifted, reaching out to run his hand over the edge of the board. “the nails……they’re to clean.”

a moment later roman’s hand moved, reaching under the board with his fingernails before testing it; only to find that the boards swung upwards without any resistance. Roman’s eyes widened as he found himself staring down into the well; a small ladder having been setup so he could climb down instead of just a sheer drop down. Turning to look at Nicholas roman felt a slightly amused smile spread across his face at the look of shock on Nicholas’s face. “looks like we found where your mystery men went.”

Nicholas nodded, peering into the opening of the well. After a few moments roman moved,standing up before moving ti climb down into the well. “what are you doing?”

The question made roman smile again. “what? Don't you wanna know where this leads? Besides, if you mystery men vanished into here theb they might have the missing boy in there too.”

Nicholas blinked for a moment. “shouldn't we go get the guards at least?”

Roman shrugged. “and tell them….what? That we think some men kidnapped a boy and might be holding him in a secret cave under a well that was made to look like it was diseased?”

Nicholas stood there silently for a moment pondering what roman had said. True….the guards would probably tell him to ‘fuck off’ if he came to them with this situation. Biting his lip he watched as roman continued to move, sitting on the edge of the well before swinging his legs up, over and around before starting to climb down. Sighing to himself Nicholas followed, quickly clambering into the well after roman before starting to make his way down the ladder. 

He moved slowly, gripping the old wooden ladder tightly as he felt the old damp wood flex and creek under his weight. He'd only gone a few rungs down when a sound from above made him look up in alarm. He watched as a small wire attached to the latter was pulled taught by their weight. A second later the boards covering the entrance swung shut on their own, plunging them in near total darkness. Instantly Nicholas felt his heart rate jump several beats. He froze, his eyes straining against the inky blackness that seemed to have swallowed him whole. For several seconds his body froze, his arms and legs locking up, refusing to move in the pitch darkness 

From below he heard roman speak softly. “deep breaths, let your eyes adjust and then start moving again.”

He nodded. His throat having gone tight. He forced himself to do as roman had said, taking several deep breaths. The breaths did little to calm him, but it did give him something other than the oppressive darkness around him to focus on. Slowly the darkness seemed to lift. Not all at once but slowly, the absolute blackness began to change, becoming a deep grey before shifting to a dark blue. Slowly images began to fade in around him. The sight of his hands still gripping the rickety and damp ladder made him exhale a sigh of relief he didn't know he’d been holding. The feeling of movement below made him tense, looking down to see that roman had begun to move downwards. 

Taking another deep breath Nicholas willed himself to move to. It was slow, each movement feeling like it took an abnormal amount of willpower to accomplish. But slowly he followed roman, descending the ladder until he felt his foot connected with the hard stony cave floor. Letting out a nervous exhale he turned, taking in the cavern he and roman were now standing in. It was clear water had once filled this place, the smoothness of the floor and walls made that evident, as did the small pools of water that still dotted the floor. But without the water moss had started to grow along the nooks and crannies of the cave wall. In front of him he could see a gap in the rock face; a place for him and roman to slip into and continue further into the cavern. Indeed as he watched roman was already moving turning sideway to slip between the rocks before vanishing to the otherside.

Quickly following roman, Nicholas turned sideways, inhaling sharply so as to make himself as thin as possible as he slipped into the gap. The gap itself wasn't too big, and took him another a few seconds of squirming to come out the other side. Releasing the breath he'd been holding Nicholas looked around, finding that he and roman had stepped into a much larger cavern than the one they'd been in just a moment ago. High above them the ceiling of the cave speckled and twinkled, some kind of luminous rock or moss providing a faint source of light. Directly in front of them the cavern widened out into a truly massive expanse that he couldn't see the end of. But it was something on the wall that drew Nicholas’s attention, an oil lantern hanging from a ring sunk into the rock wall, a sign that they were not the first people to set foot in here.

Moving silently Nicholas moved, adopting a slight crouch as he and roman made their way forward. Further to their right there was a stone stairway leading downward to another level of the cavern. For the time they ignored it, slowly creeping forward so as to look over the edge of the level they were on. Nicholas felt his eyes widened as they peered over the ledge. Below them was a large empty expanse. The stairway next to them led downward towards another ledge, this one bigger than the one they were on. A few free from the drop off of that ledge some kind of alter had been set up, made of white stone that seemed to glow from within the dark cavern. To the left of the altar Nicholas could just make out a passageway that had been cut into the rockwall leading deeper into the cavern. Directly beyond the alter the ledge ended, giving way to a massive expanse of what appeared to be an endless void. But the sound of crashing and churning waves told him thay the void was filled with waters, probably fed by the sea the village was built on.

Next to him Nicholas heard roman groan softly. “great. We get to deal with a cult.”

Looking sideways at roman, Nicholas whispered. “how can you tell?”

Roman shrugged and shook his head. “secret cave, hidden alter, missing boy. This is the work of a cu-”

But roman’s voice ended abruptly as a new sound reached their ears. Over the sound of the unseen waves came the sound of new voices speaking.

“is everything prepared for tomorrow?”

Slowly from the tunnel leading deeper into thr cavern a small light appeared and began to grow. The light became bigger and bigger soon emerging in the form of a torch carried by a shadowy figure walking side by side with another figure; this one holding a large walking stick in his hand. Remaining silent roman and Nicholas watched as the figured exited the passageway before moving towards the altar. As they figures walked a new voice spoke. “yes. The boy is ready to be sacrificed and soon the ritual will be complete.”

The figures stopping in front of the altar but continued to speak, the sound of the cool female voice echoing in the cavern. “soon the ritual will be complete and the village’s prosperity will continue. Nothing must interfere with that.”

The figure with the lanter shifted, setting the source of light on the altar. “what of the hunter and his apprentice?”

The figure with the walking stick chuckled. “they won't be a problem. They've already sealed their fates by wondering into our lair.”

It happened in the split second it took Nicholas to understand what had been said. He felt his eyes widen in shock at the woman’s words. At the same time the shadowy figures spun around, now facing them. The figure with the walking stick raising her hand as she moved, a glowing blue light starting to gather and pulse. A second later two sconces Nicholas hadn't noticed before roared to life, the sudden rush of fire light blinding him as his eyes struggled to adjust. He staggered backwards, his trying to get out of the woman’s line of sight. But it was to late. The glowing purple light that had gathered around the woman’s hand left it, zooming forward straight towards roman who like him was struggling to adjust to the suddenly brightened cavern.

He reacted without thinking, lunging forward in an almost drunken fashion to put himself between roman and the mystery spell the female cultist had cast. A second later he felt the spell hit him, like a hot ball of water that exploded on contact. He yelped a combination of fear and pain rushing through him as the spell lifted him off his feet, sending him flying backwards before crashing into the wall of cave. As he collided with the hard stone surface his head snapped back, pain lancing through his body as it struck the wall. Stars burst in front of his vission as he found that his body refused to work properly now. He slumped to the floor, his head throbbing and spinning. He could hear people shouting but try as he might he couldn't tell who the voices belong to. His body felt heavy, as if something was weighing him down, pulling him deeper into the dark spots that had sprouted and were now obscuring his vision. a moment later he felt the last threads of consciousness slip from his grasp, sending him hurtling into the darkness that once again swallowed him whole.

==============

_ He was in his old room. Slowly he blinked, sitting up; making the blankets that had been lain over him, fall away. The room was dimly lit, the only source of light coming from an old lanter hanging from the ceiling by an iron hook. The light from the lanters flickered and sputtered, making him winder if it was about to die. Slowly he moved, meaning to get out of his bed. But as he shifted he felt something cold and harsh tug at his ankles, keeping them from moving more than a foot or so. He frowned, moving his arms so as to pull the blankets away and see what was keeping him in place. Only to find that the same thing happened to his wrists, as something cold and firm kept him from moving. His heartbeat jolted as he struggled, trying to see what was restraining him. A moment later he managed to push the blankets away, revealing the thick iron shackles that had clamped around his wrists. A feeling of dread sank into his stomach, like a rock thrown into a lake. Without even seeing he knew the same restraints had been clamped around his ankles. _

_ Helplessly he struggled against the bindings, the sounds of the rattking chain making him pull harder and more frantically as he began to panic. Suddenly the sound of his father’s voice echoed angrily in his ears. _

_ “IF I CATCH YOU SNEAKING OUT ONE MORE TIME TO BE WITH THAT BOY, ILL CHAIN YOU TO THE BED!” _

_ =========== _

With a yell he woke, scrambling and twisting to try and make sense of where he lay. He was on the ground, his arms were tied behind his back and a hood had been put over his head. Twisting his body he managed to roll and get his knees under him, allowing him to sit up before shaking his head violently from side to side. After a few shakes the hood came off, whipping away into the darkness and allowing him to see where he was. The first thing he saw were bars. Thick heavy iron bars as thich as his wrists, caging him inside a small stony alcove that had been set up as a makeshift cell. Across from his he could see another cell, and another prisoner; a pale and sickly looking biy with short brown hair. The boys face was young, but a large black and blue bruise covered one side of it, distorting what looked to be a normally handsome face.

“you're awake.”

Jerking in surprise Nicholas turned, finding that another cell was to his right. This one occupied by roman. Unlike before roman’s lip had been split and large black eye now covered the left side of his face. From the way he was sitting, Nicholas coukd tell roman’s hands were bound behind his back too. “y-yeah…..where are we?”

Roman shrugged. “smugglers hold of some kind.”

Nicholas remained silent for a moment, looking around to try and get his bearings. They were in another cave. A smoothed path lead between the cells and down a hallways thatbended in darkness. “what happened?”

Again roman shrugged. “you got hit by a debilitating hex. After thay I tried to fight but…...the mage fought dirty and I was captured.” As he spoke roman shifted slightly. Nicholas felt his eyes widen as he found that roman’s left arm was covered in scabs and dried blood. After a few seconds roman continued. “as for our companion here…” as he spoke roman jerked his head towards the other boy who was sitting quitely in his cell. “...I think hes under some kind of spell. He doesnt really talk or move much.”

Nicholas nodded slowly, the boy certainly looked much more content than most people would be in his situation. Flexing his shoulder Nicholas struggked against the ropes binding his arms. The fibers were thick and tough, easily resisting his efforts to break them.

“it's no use. I already tried breaking free. They're nautical ropes, so you'd need a knife or something to cut them with.”

Nicholas nodded again, ending his struggles. Opening his mouth to speak Nicholas felt his voice die off as the sound of quickly approaching footsteps met his ears. For several tense moments Nicholas felt every sense he had straining. struggling to pick up any fine detail they could about who might be coming towards them. But after several seconds the footsteps changed, no sounding like they were moving off into the distance. Indeed after another moment later theyd vanished, leaving him roman and the boy alone ago.

From his spot in the next cell roman spoke, his voice lower and urgent. “Nicholas, if you bet free you can try to pick the lock. Maybe you can get out of your cell and free us and then we can escape.”

Opening his mouth to respond Nicholas found himself cut off by a weak and sorrowful voice. “there is no escape”

Turning towards the sound of the voice Nicholas found that the boy in the opposite cell had moved; lifting his head up so he was looking at them. After a few moments roman spoke, a faint tone of surprise in his voice. “You're not under a spell?”

The boy shook his head slowly. As he did so, Nicholas noted the bruises that dotted and covered the boy’s neck and face. Despite roman’s question the boy repeated himself. “there is no escape. Each time I tried they caught me and dragged me back here. And without with weapons there is no hope of getting away.”

This time when roman spoke his tone was different, filled with a small tinge of annoyance. “boy you're in a cave. Slam their heads into the wall, knock over a torch or lantern. Or grab a rock and hit them with it till they're bloodied and dead. You dont need a sword or a dagger to fight back.”

Opening his mouth to add his own thoughts on the matter Nicholas again found himself cut off. This time the sound of a cool females voice met his ears.

“true enough. But it may surprise you to know master hunter, that most people cannot kill so easily. They value life more than your kind do.”

Turning quickly towards the sound of the voice Nicholas found himself staring at one of the hooded figures from before. After a moment the figure moved, lifting its hands up so as to pull down the hood that was obscuring it’s face. Instantly Nicholas noted the shoulder length red hair that had been bound into a ponytail. Then there were the green eyes and the faintly smirking smile covering the woman’s face. If roman was surprised by the woman’s appearance he showed no signs of it. Instead he spoke, his tone of voice remaining calm. “valuing life has nothing to do with it. When your against other people who want to hurt you, you do whatever it takes to survive. That always includes killing them. And you can't hesitate to do so. Otherwise you've already lost. You can't let your fear overrule your need for survival.”

The woman chuckled. “and what would someone who has special training in the art of killing, know about being scared and afraid? I bet you've never been afraid. Then again, you're kind is famous for their cold disregard for life.”

Roman cocked his head slightly, a faintly amused expression covering his face too. “And i'm going to guess you're the psycho or insane mage who makes all of this work.”

this time the woman nodded. “Im the herald of Karkinos if that's what you mean.”

Roman nodded. “I thought so. So tell me oh mighty herald, what are your plans for me and my companion?”

This time the woman raised an eyebrow, his amused expression faltering for a moment into one of confusion. “plans? What makes you think I have plans other than slitting your throats and dumping you in the bay?”

This time roman rolled his eyes, a sign of annoyance leaving his lungs. In response Nicholas could not help but notice with a tinge of smug satisfaction that the lady’s eyes widened with a touch of anger. A moment later roman spoke. “lady this is not my first run in with a cult. If you were gonna just kill us you would have done it long ago. Because you and I both know the longer we live the bigger chance we become a threat to you. But you didn't kill us before and instead took the risk of imprisoning us. So let's not waste each other's time or insult each others intelligence. What do you plan to do with us?”

There were several moments of silence following roman’s words. Nicholas watched,a faint tingle of nervousness creeping through his body as he found that the woman’s stance had changed since roman had spoken. Unlike when she first appeared the woman’s stance had changed. Going from playful and toying to angered and annoyed; with her arms folded in front of her and all her weight resting on one leg. When she responded, her tone was short and cold. “Very well. We do have plans for your companion. As for you, I have already arranged for you to be handed over to the sec of echos.”

Roman’s response was minute, almost unnoticeable; in fact if Nicholas hadn't been looking for it he might not have noticed it. The way roman’s jaw clenched, the way his eyes widened slightly, and how roman’s breath hitched slightly. All of those actions told Nicholas that the woman’s answer had startled roman. But roman managed to keep his composure instead speaking after a few seconds. “what do you mean you have plans for Nicholas?”

The woman shifted, looking at Nicholas who felt himself shudder under her cold gaze. “Nicholas? So thats our latest sacrifice’s name? Good to know. Not that it matters in the end. Karnikos isn't picky about his sacrifices.” at those words Nicholas felt his heartbeat jump several beats. He was going to be sacrificed too? The woman must have been watching his reactions because she chuckled and continued. “you should be honored. Because of you our village will enjoy 20 years of prosperity.”

This time his stomach clenched, his heart continuing to pound in his chest; making him feel nervous and antsy under her continued gaze. He opened his mouth to respond, to say something witty and clever to tough to make her think her words weren’t bothering him as much as they were. But his throat refused to work, having gone dry. Instead a single word slipped passed his lips. “why?”

At his question the woman sighed softly, her shoulders slumping slightly in fatigue. “in truth it's our own fault. The village I mean. Our greed caused this. You see back in the third age the land was ravaged by the precursor wars. The land was drying up, and hunting was scares. So the armies turned to the sea for food. Villages like ours became important to the military. But all that fishing killed off the local fish populations so while the soldiers and armies had food we did not. So the villagers prayed to Luna the goddess of the moon. and because of their faith she granted them a renewed sea.”

For a moment the woman broke off, sighing again before shaking her head in disappointment. “but then word started to spread. People heard about our good fortune and they wanted to have a part of it. But the village needed the money to rebuild after the war so…..we sold the fish we had been gifted. This angered the Moon goddess. Shed renewed the sea for us so we might survive, not for us to make money. So she took back her blessing and the seas dried up. Not just the fish but the water as well. But then-"

Roman’s voice cut her off, his tone sarcastic and almost bored. “then karnikos offered you a deal. And you jumped at it.”

The woman bristled, letting off a slight huff of anger before speaking. “you make it sound like we had a choice. There are 400 douls living in this village, they depend on the sea to provide for them. Without it, they dont have a life here. So yes, we made a deal. To save 400 souls, karkinos requests a sacrifice every 10 years. Just one, a single life to save 400 others. That seems more than fair.”

Again roman rolled his eyes, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “try asking the people who were the sacrifices. Bet they'd have a different view.”

This time the woman’s eyes flashed, a faint light sparking behind them. A moment ler roman was thrown from his spot, slamming harshly into the rock wall. The woman spoke, her tone angry and deadly. “it's easy to judge us hunter. But we did what we had to do to survive. The same advice you gave the boy moments ago. So don't stand on your high horse and think you're better than us.”

Nicholas watched, his throat painfully dry as roman slowly struggled to get back up with his arms behind his back. After a few moments he spat; a small glob of blood splattering the stone floor of his cell. “if you say so.”

The woman didn't respond, instead turning away and striding down the hallway; vanishing from sight and leaving them alone again. Shuffling forward Nicholas got as close to roman as he could before speaking. “you ok?”

Roman nodded, but Nicholas could see that several of the scabs on the side of roman’s face had reopened and were starting to ooze blood again. After a few moments roman spoke. “you're gonna have to get out of here. Then free me and the boy. My sword is close, I can sense it. If I can get it I can kill the woman and end this.”

Nicholas bit his lip. The knots around his wrists we tight, to tight for him to just slip out of. and naturally their captors had taken his daggers so he couldn't but himself free. “how?”

Roman shrugged, a small grimace of pain flickering across his face. “maybe you can cut the rope with a rock?”

Nicholas nodded slowly, turning to look at him cell. Most of the stone that made up the wall had been smoothed. Probably so others couldn't do what he was trying to do. There was a slight rough patch near the bars, but nothing rough or jagged enough to do what he needed. Looking around the other cells Nicholas bit his lip again. there didn't seem to be anything to help him cut the rope binding him. For a moment he felt the fear return, his heart pounding in his chest and leaving him feeling almost breathless.

No, no fear was bad right now. He needed to remain calm. slowing his breath Nicholas focused on the task and nothing else. There was no rocks he could use to break his bindings. But….maybe he could use something else. Looking over his cell Nicholas found that several small bones littered the floor, possibly from animals who had died down here in the cave over the years. He could use those later, perhaps break one and use it as a makeshift lockpick. But that would have to come later, for now; he needed to get out of his bindings. 

“Hey…..” the sound of the voice made him look up. Across the path the boy in the other cell was looking at him. After a few moments he spoke again. “Can you really…..get us out of here?”

Biting his lip Nicholas weighed his options. In truth he wasn’t sure. True if he could get out of his bindings he could try picking the locks of their cells. But at the same time he wasn’t an expert. It would take him time to pick the locks, and the whole time they ran the risk of the woman or one of her lackies coming back and discovering what they were doing. Making up his mind Nicholas nodded. “I think so, yeah.”

The shifted in his cell, moving towards the back wall before doing something obscured by his body. After a few moments he returned to the bars, something small clutched in his hand. “I…...last time i tried to escape…...one of the guards shot an arrow at me. It hit the wall and tip broke, but…..maybe…..”

The boy held out his hand, allowing Nicholas to see the arrow tip he was holding. The tip was small, maybe about half the size of a playing card. But the edges still looked sharp enough. Perhaps…..

“Throw it to me.”

The boy did as he was told, tossing the arrow tip towards Nicholas who, rather than trying to catch or block it, allowed it to clatter to the ground with a small clanging sound. Moving towards where it had landed Nicholas bit his lip, in order to pick it up with his hands he had to lay down backwards and then grope around with his hands behind his back until he felt them brush against the cool mater surface of the makeshift tool. But his split second feeling of joy was dashed as a lance of pain shot through his finger as the razor sharp edge of the arrow head slice into his skin. “Ahh!”

He grunted, allowing himself a moment to feel the pain before returning his attention to what he had to do. He moved slowly, doing his best not to cut himself as against he gingerly picked up the broken tip and maneuvered it in his fingers until the edge of the arrow tip was pressed against the ropes. It was slow work, because of the way he was holding the arrow; clenched between the tips of his fingers, he couldn’t press to firmly against his bindings, or he ran the risk of the arrow slipping from his grasp. As he worked he shifted, turning himself so he was facing the entrance the woman had used, so he could stop working if someone came to check on them. As he worked on the ropes he heard roman speak to the boy.

“So….what’s your name kid?”

The boy looked at him, almost as if he was startled by the simple question. After a few seconds he responded. “M-mathew…….my name is mathew.”

Roman nodded. “I’m roman. My companion is Nicholas.”

Nicholas nodded, choosing not to speak and instead focus on cutting his ropes. Gripping the arrow was hard, the cut from earlier throbbed and burned and the blood that was oozing from the cut was making his grip slippery and wet. In tge back of his mind he wished the arriw tip was bigger, or that perhaps his fingers would longer. That would have made this task easier.

“can you really sense your sword?”

The boy's question was soft, a tone of almost hope held within. Roman nodded in response. “all hunters can sense their swords. And we have a general feeling about other hunter’s swords. Has to do with magic woven and forged into the metal. Its how we can channel the forces of our world through the blade.”

The cocked his head confused. “elements of our world?”

Roman shrugged. “things like fire, lightning and ice. They’re forces that help shape and define our world, so monsters that are from beyond our world are weak to them. It's one reason why we're so skilled at killing monsters. We've got better tools than others.”

The look of confusion remained on the boys face. “beyond our world? I thought monsters came from caves and dungeons.”

Despite their situation roman chuckled, a sound that made Nicholas look up from his concentration. “most people think that. But it's not true. Although many monsters do enter our world in such places, it's not where they truly come from. Most monsters, with a few exceptions come from a kind of alternate world that sits parallel to ours. If a monster has enough willpower and ability they can tear down the veil for a moment, and slip into our.world. others are weaker, or dont have the skill to work such magics. So they use other means.”

The boy cocked his head again. “like what?”

Roman shrugged. “some make deals like karkinos. They teach humans how to weaken the veil and then use that weakness to slip through for a time. But most hitch rides on souls that are dreaming.”

The boy's eyes widened. “dreaming souls?”

Roman nodded. “have you ever had a dream, good or bad; where you felt like something had grabbed hold of you. But you couldn't find what it was?”

The boy nodded and roman continued. “that was a monster using you to cross through the veil. Or at least trying to. It doesn't work all the time, but if they can sorta piggyback of our souls, which naturally pass through their realm when we sleep; then they don't have to use nearly as much power as they normally would.”

Nicholas paused what he was doing, his brain working to understand what he'd just heard. Monster came from an alternate dimension? He'd never heard that before, but as much as he wanted to ask more questions he knew now was not the time. He had to focus. Biting his lip in concentration Nicholas continued to cut through his ropes. His fingers were shaking with how tightly he had to hold the shard of metal, and they had gone partially numb from the tightness of the ropes, but he could feel the progress he had made.

Pausing for a moment to rest his fingers, Nicholas flexed his arms and shoulders, texting the strength of the bonds. The ropes continued to hold him tightly, but unlike before there was a small amount of give. Taking a deep breath he continued to work, using the shard of metal to slowly saw apart the fibers. As he worked roman spoke up. “so…..have you seen anyone down her you recognize?”

Mathew nodded slowly. “yeah…..the woman before…..she's the mayor of the town.”

Nicholas’s head snapped up to stare and for a moment he almost dropped the shard in surprise. In the next cell roman let out a low whistle. “wow….the mayor…..no wonder no one ever caught on. With her position she could point the guards in the totally wrong direction. Smart. Karkinos chose his mage well.”

The boy shook his head. “Didn't know she was a mage. She's never used magics before. Not that anyone ever saw at least.”

Roman nodded. “Shes probably a hedge mage. No formal training except what karkinos taught her. Lets him keep a tighter grip on her leash so she can't fight back.”

Mathew looked at roman. “You dont sound surprised.”

Roman shrugged, “This isn’t my first run in with a cult. You start to kind notice a pattern after the first few.”

For the most part Nicholas wasnt listening, instead he bit his lip again, noting how raw it was starting to feel. He was making progress, the tips of his fingers were starting to feel the frayed ends of the rope he was cutting. Indeed this time when he flexed his shoulders and arms again; struggling against the bindings he found that there was a bit more give than before. Gripping the arrow shard Nicholas winced as he felt the finger he'd cut before pulse and throb as the cut reopened, allowing more blood to ooze out. But a second later his feelings of pain vanished, replaced instead by a feeling of adrenaline jolting his system as he felt the pressure on his arms lessen.

Flexing his shoulders and arms again Nicholas grunted as he found the ropes were still resisted for a few seconds before the sound of snapping fibers met his ears. Instantly the iron like pressure keeping him bound vanished as the rope broke. He moved as quickly as he could his arms and hands numb from the position he'd been in for what must have been several hours. Quickly he brought his arms and hands back to their normal positions, holding them close to his chest for several moments, making sure nothing was broken as he did so.

Slowly the feeling began to return, brining with it a feeling of painful, aching tingles which made his grunt and shake slightly as he tried to ignore them. The slightest movements made his arms and hands pulse, making them twitch and jerk which just made things worse. Instead he focused his attention on the small animal bones that dotted his cell, looking for one he could use. He could see several large bones, probably from some kind of rodent, those could work. Moving forward he hissed slightly, his arms and hands still at least partially numb. But he had no time to waste. He needed to find a way out of his cell so he could free roman and Mathew. Picking through the small pile of bones Nicholas nodded to himself as he pulled a long thin, slightly curved bone; possible a rib out of the pile. Scurrying over to the door to his cell Nicholas went to work, first using his free hand to feel along the unseen front of the lock until he found the keyhole. 

Bringing the small sliver of a bone to the keyhole Nicholas made sure to slowly but firmly press the bone into the lock before pressing his ear to the backside of the mechanism. Taking a deep breath Nicholas closed his eyes, turning all his attention to his sense of sound. Slowly he began to move the bone, first in just a simple thrusting motion, not to try and unlock the lock but so that it would tap against the internal structure of the lock. One of the first things he learned about locks is that the different tumblers made different sounds, a result of them being different sizes and cuts. And while the sounds did little to tell him about the shape of the tumblers or their design it was important in telling him how many there were. To his relief Nicholas found that he could only hear a single tone coming from the lock, a sign that there was only a single tumbler inside the lock. 

Now his movements changed going from the thrusting motion to a slow and methodical scrapping gesture, listening for there the sound of scraping vanishing, meaning he'd found the tumbler he needed to shimmy open. After a few moments of listening he heard what he wanted, a small space where the scraping sound of the bone against the lock’s metal innards vanished for a split second. His tongue came to poke slightly out of his mouth as he moved, carefully slotting the end of the bone into the small gap of the tumbler. Delicately he rolled the bone in his fingers, doing everything he could to make sure the bone was as deep inside the tumbler as he could. Once he was sure he was in as far as the bone would go, he paused. Taking a deep breath before looking to roman who was watching him closely. Across the room mathew was watching him too, his eyes having watch everything he’d just done. “Here goes nothing.”

Putting the end of the bone against his palm Nicholas closed his eyes, saying a small pray before pushing his palm firmly against the bone, jamming the small shard deep into the lock’s internal mechanisms. For a moment the sound of cracking and splintering met his ears, an expected sound based on how old and brittle the bone had seemed. Taking a deep breath Nicholas moved, reaching out to push hopefully against the door to his cell. For a few seconds there was almost dead silence, only the sound of Nicholas’s heartbeat reaching his brain. A moment later the door to his cell swung open, his attempts to pick the locks having worked. It took all of his self control not to cry out in join, instead he moved as quickly as he could; quickly searching the ground for more bones before hurrying from his cell and over towards romans. 

“Nice going.” Nicholas smiled at the compliment, working as fast as he could to repeat the process and free roman from his cell. After a few moments the door to roman’s cell swung open, and he rushed in, kneeling down next to roman and moving to untie roman’s bindings. As he did so Nicholas could not help but note the myriad of cuts, scrapes and scabs that covered the side of roman’s face and hands. Also he noted, his stomach lurching slightly in warm, that a large splotch of red had stained roman’s pant leg in just about the exact place the wolf had clawed him before. Pulling roman free from the thick ropes Nicholas stepped back, moving out of the cell so roman could slowly come forward and join him in freedom. As roman did so Nicholas again noted a small look of pain flickering across roman’s face as he moved. 

Watching as roman stood up Nicholas spoke, his voice low so as not to carry in the echoing caverns. “You ok?”

Roman nodded, “yeah. They look worse than they are.”

Choosing not to respond Nicholas instead turned, intending to move and free mathew; but instead he froze as the sound of footsteps met his ears. Looking to roman Nicholas watched as the larger warrior moved, quickly rushing forward before pressing himself against the all on one side of the entrance to the room. Quickly following Nicholas held his breath, the sounds of the footsteps getting closer and closer. Suddenly the source of the footsteps emerged into the room; two cloaked figures who took a few steps into the chamber before pausing in their tracks. “Where are-”

But the rest of the figures words were cut off as roman rushed in from behind. At the same time Nicholas moved too, grabbing the hooded shoulder from behind, bringing his arm up and over the figure’s neck which his other hand and arm wrapped around his head. Instantly the figure began to struggle, his hands clawing and trying to pull off and release his head and throat from Nicholas’s grip. Using his grip Nicholas pulled the figure backwards, clenching the body tightly against his chest to lessen the chance of him being thrown off. The figure continued to struggle, the force behind his clawings lessening slightly as the hold’s effects began to take hold. Being sure to keep his grip tight Nicholas felt the as the figure’s movements began to weaken, his clawing becoming fainter and fainter until it stopped altogether.

The man let out a sing rasping gasp as he passed out, his body going limp in Nicholas’s arms. Releasing the man from the hold Nicholas watched as his body pitched forward, crumpling to the ground in a heap. Turning to look at roman Nicholas watched as the figure roman had grabbed slumped against the wall of the chamber. The figure’s hood had fallen in the scuffle, and judging from the blood that was dripping from the man’s nose; roman had slammed the man’s face into the wall of the cavern. A second later Nicholas felt his eyes widen as the figure fell backwards, allowing him to see the face of the bar-man he’d spoke to before. But it was roman who spoke first, his tone slightly amused. “The bar-man…...karkinos chose very well.”

Remaining silent Nicholas instead knelt down, pulling back the hood of the man he'd choked. Pulling back the hood Nicholas found himself staring at another face he’d not seen before. But he had no time to take in more. Instead he busied himself with searching the man’s pockets, finding a heavy iron key attached to the man’s belt. Pulling the key free Nicholas quickly made his way to mathew’s cell where he slotted the key into the lock and after finding that it worked; pushed open mathew’s door. The boy moved slowly, half crawling forward as if he thought this was some kind of trick. But when Nicholas didn’t suddenly slam the door shut the boy rushed and quickly exited his cell nervously. “N-now what?”

Again it was roman who spoke. “Now Nicholas gets you out of here while I find my sword and then deal with Karkinos and his emissary.” Looking to roman Nicholas bit his lip. Even if roman was trying to hide it he could see that the warrior was in pain. Everything about his stance, his expression, even his breathing; was telling him that he was in more pain than he was letting on. As if roman knew what he was thinking he spoke again. “Go. get mathew out of here. Without him they can't complete their plans. So getting him out of here is the fastest way to beat them. GO.”

Roman spoke the last word with a bit more force while jerking his head in the direction of the passageway. Biting back his objections Nicholas moved, gripping the boy’s arm before slowly pulling him from the room they had been held in. gesturing for Mathew to remain close to the wall before slowly creeping forward. He couldn't hear the sounds of anymore footsteps but the darkness of the passageway made it hard for him to know where he was going. Squinting in the darkness Nicholas did his best to make out where he and mathew were going. He could hear the faint sounds of waves coming from a darkened corridor that branched out to the right. Motioning for mathew to remain close Nicholas quickly ducked into this passagway. As much and he wished they could go in the opposite direction; two issues arose. Firstly there was no passageway leading them away. They could keep going straight and end up who knew where. Or they could go towards the chamber that had held the underground lake which he knew linked up with the route he and roman had taken when they’d first slipped into the caverns. Secondly the longer they spent wandering around these caves, the greater chance there was that they’d either be caught and recaptured or wind up getting lost.

Keeping both these things in mind Nicholas and mathew continued to move forward, making their way down the dark corridor before coming to a step as the corridor ended and widened into a large open room. Motioning for mathew to hold for a moment Nicholas slowly leaned out, allowing himself to peak into the room they had come to. Just as he’d expected they had come to the room he and roman had seen before. A ways in front of them the altar they’d seen loomed but beyond this the room seemed to be almost completely deserted. A crook had been setup over the latar, and hanging from it was a small lantern who’s light was illuminating the large underground cavern. A small ways beyond the altar the ground dropped off, giving way to a sheer cliff; far below in the darkness the lantern’s light couldn't penetrate the waters making the waves no doubt lurked. 

Moving as quickly and as quietly as they could Nicholas and mathew emerged from the corridor. Quickly hurrying through the open area of the room and towards the stone stairway that led upwards towards the entrance to the caves. Nicholas’s foot had just touched the first stone stair when the sound of a voice split the almost silent cavern. “THE PRISONERS ARE ESCAPING!”

Spinning around in the direction of the voice Nicholas found that another robed figured had emerged from a passageway on the opposite side of the chamber and was now pointing wildly at them; the sounds of his alarm echoing and reverberating in the large nearly empty cavern. With barely anytime to think Nicholas changed direction; no longer making his way up the stairs but instead throwing himself towards the hooded figure that had appeared. Over his shoulder he shouted. “UP THE STAIRS! GO, GET OUT OF HERE AND SCREAM YOUR HEAD OFF WHEN YOU'RE ABOVE GROUND!”

A second later he collided with the hood figure who’d blown their cover. The man grunted as they hit, the torch he’d been holding left is hand, flying backwards and striking the wall before clattering to the ground. Their momentum carried them backwards, the man tripping over his own feet; sending them into a heap on the ground. Grabbing a fistful of the man’s robes Nicholas drew back his feet arm, lashing out with it a second later. The man managed to dodge the punch, moving his head at the last second so that Nicholas’s fist instead collided with the solid stone floor beneath them. Pain exploded through Nicholas’ hand and arm, but he did his best to ignore it; even as his knuckles cracked and split. 


	4. Chapter 4

The man seized on the moment, his own fist coming up to slam into the side of Nicholas’s face. Making him grunt in pain but not managing to make him release his grip on the man’s robes. Reeling from the force of the blow Nicholas did his best to focus, his head spinning from the man’s punch. Nevertheless he lashed out again, this time his own fist connecting with the side of the man’s head, making his body jerk slightly. Pulling his fist back and threw another blow, his one not at the man’s head but instead at the man’s neck. But the man countered the attack; one of his hands coming up to not only grab Nicholas’s incoming hand, but also push off from the ground.

Nicholas yelped as the man moved, managing to spin them around so it was now Nicholas who was pinned against the ground while the man was on top of him. A second later Nicholas felt all the air leave his lungs as the man drove his knee painfully into his stomach. He coughed and sputtered his mind momentarily blank as he struggled to inhale breath. A moment later though he jerked, his hands coming up to claw at the man’s arms as Nicholas felt two sets of string rough hands wrap around his throat; cutting off his air and making it impossible to breath. Frantically he clawed and scratched at the man’s arms, doing his best to try and make the man let go of his throat. Dark spots had already started to appear in his vision, above him the unknown man bore down on his; his weight pressing down on Nicholas’s body making it impossible to escape. 

Frantically Nicholas’s eyes jerked around, trying to find something, anything he could use to get the man off him. after a few heartbeats of frantic search Nicholas’s eyes found a small rock off to the side of them. Frantically reaching for the rock Nicholas felt his heart jolt as his fingers wrapped around it’s cold unyielding surface. He was starting to pass out now. Above him his vision had become blurry in the spots that weren’t covered in darkness. He could barely make out the man’s hooded face. With the last of his strength he moved, bringing the rock up and doing his best to slam it into the side of the man’s head. 

For a split second Nicholas worried that he might have missed; his hand not encountering anything to stop the attack. But a heartbeat later the man screamed in pain as the hard stone collided with the side of his skull. The man jerked and grunted, the grip around Nicholas’s neck not vanishing but lessening slightly. Again he brought the stone back before snapping it forward, crashing it again into the man’s head. This time the man let go his grip vanishing from around Nicholas’s throat allowing him to gasp and cough as the man pitched sideways off of him. Still coughing and gasping for breath Nicholas did his best to scurry away from the man; trying to put as much distance between them as he could. His vision was starting to improve now, but with it came a splitting headache that felt like someone had planted an axe in his brain. 

Behind him he heard the man grunt and growl. “Little bastard….sacrifice be damned!”

He struggled to get to his feet. He could try to run, maybe even fight back if he were able to stand. But here on the ground, in a crumpled and half choked pile he was a goner. He could hear the man approaching him now. In fear he gripped the rock in his hand tighter. He wasn't going to go easy. If the man wanted to kill him he'd had to work for-

Suddenly a new sound met Nicholas’s ears. A wet kind of ‘shulk’ followed by a pained and seemingly surprised gasped. Turning to look back Nicholas’s eyes widened as he found he was no longer alone with the man. Roman had appeared, and clutched in his hand was his sword; the tip of which was protruding from the mystery man’s chest. For a full five seconds the man looked down, dumbstruck by the blade that was now sticking out from his chest. With a single swift action roman withdrew the sword, it’s cold metal blade vanishing back into the man who jerked and crumpled to the ground in a dead heap. For a few moments Nicholas just blinked, his oxygen starved brain still trying to workout what had just happened. In that time roman moved forward, kneeling down so as to slowly help him to his feet. “You ok?”

Nicholas nodded, choosing not to speak because of the burning aching feeling in this throat. in front of him roman nodded, reaching behind him before producing Nicholas’ twin daggers and handing them to him. “Here.”

Taking his dagger Nicholas felt a small sense of relief wash over him. He wasn't defenceless anymore, if he was attacked he now had a way to defend himself that was much more effective than ‘smash them in the head with a rock’. But their moment of peace was broken by a cool female voice reaching their ears from within the main chamber. “AND WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING BOY?”

Roman and Nicholas looked at each other for a split second before dashing back down the corridor and emerging to into the main chamber. They had barely taken five steps into the chamber before the ground under their feet blazed to life, a glyph appearing beneath them; making their legs freeze and refuse to move another step. in front of them, near the altar the mayor laughed, obviously happy they’d fallen for her trap. 

They watched as the mayor flicked her wrists, a fiery orange symbol appearing and seeming to burn in the air for a moment before a long black tendril erupted from the symbol and shot towards mathew who was still clambering up the stairs. Nicholas felt his eyes widen as the tendril grabbed mathew by the foot, yanking him from the stone stairway before pulling him through the air and dragging him back towards the mayor. With a simple gesture the mayor directed the tendril having it slam mathew into place on the altar. Before mathew had a chance to react chains and manacles snaked their way up clamping down on his wrists and ankles pinning him in place and preventing him from running away. 

Struggling to try and move his feet Nicholas watched as the mayor turned to look at them, an evil grin covering her face. “You hunters. Always rushing in with your weapons. Never thinking about anything other than stabbing the monster till it stops moving.”

Without saying another word the mayor turned away, raising her hands into the air while tilting her head back. “Lord of the deep, Mighty Karkinos….” Nicholas’s eyes widened as more symbols and glyphs began to appear in the air. Each of them burning and smoking as if being drawn there my some kind of fiery hand. “....I’ve brought before you a sacrifice so that our ancient and noble compact may continue…..” a massive symbole began to appear, this one directly over the altar and the still struggling mathew who screamed and pulled at the chains in terror. “....claim this tribute so that you may uphold your end of our accord.”

For a moment the sound of what appeared to be ripping fabric filled the chamber. Nicholas watched his heart hammering in his chest as a darkness appeared in the large glyph above the altar; but the darkness didn't stay as a single point. Slowly it began to grow, becoming larger and larger until the entire glyph seemed to be consumed by it. A second later Nicholas felt the blood in his vein freeze as a deep booming impossible voice spoke from the darkness. 

“ **Another youngling willingly given. Good.** ”

Slowly something began to emerge from the darkness, a series of long black tentacles began to emerge, writhing and wriggling towards mathew who screamed and continued to struggle hopelessly. Grunting and struggling Nicholas tried to move, but try and he might his feet remained frozen in place, as if they’d been glued down. But it was movement from next to him that made him stop, looking to roman Nicholas watched as his companion moved, raising his sword high into the air as if he meant to stop some large enemy. “SEFWALLA!”

A split second later roman drove his sword down into the ground, sinking half the blade into the stone floor of the cave. From the point where the blade vanished a bead of light appeared, not just a simple spark but an intense nearly blinding ember of light that grew and expanded; flashing outwards of the breifest of seconds and making Nicholas feel as though a large blast of wind had just washed passed him. 

A second later the glyph keeping them in place vanished. Suddenly able to move Nicholas changed towards the mayor and the altar his daggers raised and ready to fight. The mayor let out a roar of rage, more glyph and siduals appearing in the air followed moments later by dozens of angry blacked tendrils all of them rushing towards him. Ducking the tendril Nicholas fell back, knowing he’d never be able to make it close enough by himself. Falling back so he was again next to roman Nicholas watched as the tendrils retreated slightly, no longer actively trying to attack him but still ready incase he tried anything more. Beyond them more tendrils were emerging, writhing towards the altar and their sacrifice. 

“WHAT DO WE DO?!”

His voice was high pitched and panicked, no doubt spurred by the sight of mathew thrashing and screaming; trying to escape the tendrils that sought to consume him. Next to him roman moved, bringing his sword up so that it was in front of his body. “Fire of the skies, wrath of the gods; aid me now.” as he spoke Nicholas noted roman’s thumb had moved, the tip of his nail pressed against the hilt of his sword and drawing what appeared to be a symbol on a small flat section just below the guard.

Suddenly a new sound erupted through the cavern. For a moment Nicholas thought it was the sound of snakes; of thousands of serpents hissing and rattling making his hair stand on end. Light arched across roman’s sword, dancing and coiling along the metal blade like so many angry vipers; each of them hissing and occasionally striking outwards in fantastic bolts of lightning and energy.

After a few moments roman spoke. “You go high. Use your speed to your advantage. Stab and cut where you can but don't focus on doing damage. Grab the boy and run. I’ll take care of the rest.”

A loud echoing yell bellowed from roman’s mouth and he charged forward, his sword drawn back and ready to meet the first tendril who got in his way. Following closely behind roman Nicholas watched as a large black tendril shot towards them, as if to slam into them and push them back. In the blink of an eye roman’s sword came down on the tendril, cleaving it in half while sending waves of angry hissing electricity coiling and skittering through the cut limb. From beyond the darkness there was a shriek of anger and pain, enough to make the walls and ceiling of the cave rattle. More tendrils came at them, each of them no doubt hoping to kill them and end their interference. Vaulting over on the tendrils Nicholas threw himself forward, his back hitting the cold inky surface of another tendrol before he threw his weight sideways rolling over the top before landing on his feet as he kept running forward. 

Behind him roman was moving slower, his energized sword making short work of the tendrils that attacked him, but also meaning he could only take a step or two before he was under siege again. But he had no time to focus on that, he’d have to keep going and trust that roman knew what he was doing. Instead he focused on his task, dodging, ducking and weaving his way through he wave of tendrils between himself and mathew. Occasionally he’d lash out, his simple metal blades cutting deep into the inkly black tendrils but not making the monster cry out in pain like roman’s attacks did. Ducking low Nicholas tilted his head back, narrowly feeling a tentacle pass a hair’s width above him as it attempted to sweep him off his feet. 

He was close now, he could see the woman from before; the town mayor in front of him, and just behind her was the altar and mathew and and mass of writhing angry tentacles that were almost upon him. But he couldn't lose focus just yet. He could see the woman beginning to weave a spell, this one aimed directly at him. Pushing himself to go faster Nicholas put on a burst of speed, changing the direction of his charge and instead charging towards the woman who was caught off guard by the sudden change. As their bodies collided Nicholas lashed out, one dagger coming around to bury itself deep into the woman’s side while the other plunged into her stomach. But he had no time to celebrate. Instead he acted, wrenching the blade from his back before shoving her body away. He didn't even stay to see if she might try to get back up instead he changed back to his original plan, charging towards mathew just as some of the tendrils began to lap and graze against the boy’s arms and face. 

His blades slashed forward, slicing into the approaching tendrils making them writhe and thrash in pain before retreating slightly. Seizing the moment Nicholas grabbed the thick chain binding one of mathew’s arms and pulled with all his might. But even with his and mathew’s combined strength the chains showed no signs of breaking. For a moment Nicholas considered using his daggers. They were strong, maybe they could cut the chains? But he discarded that idea almost instantly, these chains were thick and ancient, it was doubtful his daggers would have any kind of an effect on them. A sudden change in mathew’s expression was the only warning he got. Whipping around Nicholas struck out with his dagger, a smirk flickering across his face as he caught a tendril in the very middle; wrenching the blade downwards and showering him and mathew in a kind of inky black ichor that made their skin slippery and wet. 

Instantly an idea came to him. Even as the injured tendril retreated, continuing to drip on them; he moved. Gathering up some of the ichor Nicholas grabbed at the maniacal binding one of mathew’s wrists. Working as fast as he could he worked to slather and coat mathew’s wrist in the slimy substance; hoping to use it so mathew could slip right out. After a few moments of work Nicholas grabbed mathew’s arm pulling as hard as he could, to try and help mathew slip free. Beneath him he could hear mathew crying out in pain. He wished he could stop. But he needed to get the boy out of here as soon as possible, and a broken hand was much easier to heal than being dead. 

Suddenly a rumbling sound met Nicholas’s ears, making him pause for a moment to look up in the direction the sound was coming from. Instantly his blood froze in his veins as he found himself staring up into a face that was looking down at him. Rows or razor sharp teeth lined a mouth that was flanked on each side by a set of mandibles, snapping and reaching towards him. A set of eyes, glowing red with unimanginal fury burned down on him making his mind go blank from fear. The monster was coming towards them, moving down through the darkness towards them, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Even as he stood there looking up at the impossible monster it let out a roar, a deep deafening roar that blocked out all over sound and made every part of him freeze in fear and dread. 

A second later he jerked, his attention being jerked away from the large impossible monster by the feeling of a hand on his shoulder. Roman was at his side now, covered from head to toe in black ichor but with a determined look on his face. Nicholas watched, his brain struggling to understand what was happening anymore as roman raised his sword over the altar before slashing at the thick ancient chains. For a moment the chains resisted, struggling to remain whole and continue to hold mathew in place. But the ancient and thick iron links proved no match for roman’s magically enhanced sword. Nicholas watched as the blade sliced through the iron bands suddenly freeing mathew’s arms before roman repeated the move, freeing his legs as well. 

Roman didn't even wait for mathew to move on his own, instead grabbing the boy by the front of his shirt and half pulling half dragging him from the altar and to his feet. “RUN!”

That word echoed in Nicholas’s mind, the only thing that made any sense right then; his legs followed the order and he began to run. All around them tendrils slashed and swiped at them, trying to recapture them and keep them from escaping. But with roman leading their escape the large warrior was easily able to slash and cut his way through any that got in their way. Their had just made it to the stone stairs when a cold and shaky voice met Nicholas’s ears. “Y-YOU WILL N-NOT ESCAPE!”

A split second later Nicholas felt something cold and slimy wrap around his stomach. A moment later he was ripped from his feet, pulled so harshly that his daggers fell from his hands. In almost the blink of an eye he’d been wrenched across the room, the slimy black tendril that had hold of him pulling him to who knows where. He twisted around, trying to free himself but also trying to see where he was being pulled too. His heart sunk as he found the tendril that had grabbed him seemed to be pulling him back towards the large black opening that he’d seen the monster in only moment ago. He struggled helplessly against the tendril, trying to pull it off or unravel it from around his waist and stomach; but it provide futile. Behind him he was getting closer and closer to the portal now. As he looked around frantically, desperately hoping for some kind of miracle to save him, his eyes fell on the woman mage who had caused all of this. 

He’d stabbed her in the stomach and back true, but somehow she was still alive. She’d been brought to her knees however, and even as he was pulled through the air he could make out the expression of gleeful triumph on her face as he drew closer to her and the darkened portal. It was in that moment, in that single heartbeat of a second that an idea formed in his head. He was going to die…..probably. But, he could take this mage with him and keep her from hurting anyone else ever again. With grim determination he stretched out, reaching and grabbing towards the mage whom he managed to catch unprepared. The moment his fingers brushed against her shirt he latched on; grabbing a fistful of the back of her shirt. A second later the mage too found herself ripped off the ground; both of them no doomed to wherever the tendril was taking them. 

At the very last second Nicholas turned, even as his toes and legs began to enter the darkened portal he managed to catch a skingle final glimpse of roman and mathew. He could clearly see the look of pain and sadness on roman’s face; even as he struggled to fight off several remaining tendrils trying to claim them as well. In the back of his mind Nicholas wondered; would he ever see roman again?

But all thoughts vanished as his view of roman was cut off by the darkness. It was like being plunged into a pool of ice cold water. The darkness seemed to press in on hims from all sides, washing over him in waves. The darkness was intense, so all consuming that it was like he’d gone blind; the only thing he was truly aware of was that he still had hold of the mage who was struggling and crying out in fear as they both continued to be dragged along to who knew where. In a way it was like he was falling. Every so often his feeling of direction would shift, like he was tumbling through the air. Suddenly a sound reached his ears, the sound of an angry roar splitting through the odd silence that had filled his ears. 

“ **NO!** ”

Suddenly the darkness changed, flashes of light; each of them going off like thousands of tiny bombs. They ripped through the darkness, each of them sending flashes of color streaking through the darkness nearly blinding them with their intensity. A second later Nicholas felt the tendril around his stomach release him giving him a horrible sickening feeling of weightlessness for several moments. Instinctually he let go of the mage, his body twisting and flailing about to try and find something to grab onto. Then a new feeling, something hard and large slamming into his back, his head snapping backwards to crash into the mystery object; knocking him silly and leaving his ears ringing. He tried to stay awake, tried to remain conscious; no doubt if he fell asleep he’d be easy prey for the monster. But his vision was swirling now, leaving him dizzy, disoriented and confused; and against his will he found himself slipping into unconsciousness. 

==============

Roman felt his heart clench painfully as he watched Nicholas vanish into the portal. Every inch of him was screaming at him to run to the portal, to throw himself into it and try to rescue Nicholas. But his body wasn't in charge; his brain was, and unlike his body his brain knew what was about to happen once the mage fueling the spell was pulled through to another plane. Bringing his sword up roman blocked one of the tendrils, instead of immediately pushing it away, instead choosing to grapple with it for a moment; hoping that it would buy him a few extra seconds until….

It happened a moment later, as the mage let out a terrified and pain filled scream before vanishing from sight into the portal. A kind of pulse seemed to ripple through the cavern, the air visible distorting and rippling like water. In its wake the pulse brought only destruction and chaos. Roman watched as the wave passed over the altar only for it to explode as soon as the wave passed by. Large cracks and fissures erupted along the surface of the stone, making the entire cavern shake and tremble. He knew what was happening. The spell was collapsing. The mage had been the focal point of the spell, using her magic to hold back the intense amounts of magic needed to split the veil for karkinos to feed. Without her in place as the dampener, the spell was running unchecked and wild, trying to find a new focal point to direct it; like a drowning man flailing about.. And when it failed, the entire spell was collapse and die; along with anything else caught in its wake. 

But a feeling drew roman’s attention from the wave of incoming magic. He watched, a small sigh of relief washing through him as the tendril he was wrestling with twitched and jerked, the smaller portal that had allowed it to spring forth starting to waiver and dispel as it’s magic was sucked away. Taking the moment to strike roman watched as his sword effortlessly cut into the tendle’s inkly black flesh, making it fall to the ground where it continued to twitch and jerk as the spells controlling it failed. The wave of magic was closer now, soon it would be upon them and if they didn't get out of the way, they’d die for sure. “RUN FOR IT!”

He didn't even pause as he shouted, instead sprinting forward and up the stone stairs towards the entrance to the caves. Halfway up the stairs he found himself side by side with mathew who was struggling to run, the floor of the cave having started to tremble and shake as the large cracks and fissures continued to grow and expanding, making everything unstable. He reacted out of instinct and training, grabbing the boy unceremoniously by the back of his tunic before lifting him off his feet and throwing him over his shoulder without even breaking stride. Mentally he willed himself to go faster, taking each step three at a time as he did his best to outrun the wall of rouge magic that was rapidly approaching him and mathew. 

His legs ached and burned as he they reached the top of the stairs but he dared not slow down, instead charging down the corridor he and Nicholas had snuck through before. The sudden narrowing of the cavern meant the wave would move a little slower now; giving him a few precious seconds. Pulling mathew from his shoulder roman quickly pushed the boy into the small crevice he and Nicholas had found, hastily urging the boy to move when he seemed uncertain of what to do. The walls of the cave were starting to shake again, absentmindedly roman wondered what was happening on the surface. Could they feel the tremors too? Or would they blissfully unaware of what was happening beneath their feet? 

On the other side of the crevice roman breathed a small sigh of relief as he found that ladder he and Nicholas had used before remained intact. This time mathew didn't need to be told what to do; the boy had already begun to climb the ladder, an act that roman quickly followed, luckily for them magic could only move in a sight line unless told to do otherwise. So if he and mathew could get above it they would be spared it’s effects. But with the amount of shaking and damage the caves had sustained, roman had no doubt they would start to collapse any second now. Luckily the boy was a fast climber and in no time at all they found themselves back out on the surface. 

Grunting in the sudden bright light roman found that above ground was starting to shake to, no doubt as a result of the tremors and collapse that was happening below. “KEEP GOING!”

They needed to get away from where the caves were. Quickly as they could roman and mathew ran down the alleyway leading to this courtyard, bursting back onto the main roadway. All around them people were staggering and trying to regain their footing as the grounds beneath their feet shifted and shook. In almost the blink of an eye roman did his best to recall the layout and size of the caves coupled with the layout of the village so he could try to find a safeplace for them to run too. “THE GATES! WE NEED TO GET AWAY FROM THE CITY CENTER!”

It was true, if his memory and calculations were correct, the large cavern that the altar had been in; where all of this had started had been directly beneath the large open space of the city center plaza. His legs ached and throbbed as he continued to run. He was fit, there was no doubt about that but between all the running and fighting he’d done recently, combined with the injury he’d sustained he was quickly reaching his physical limit of what he could do. Still he pushed forward running through the streets, weaving in and out of frightened and panicked crowds; all the while heading towards the front gates he and Nicholas had used what felt like ages ago. 

All around them buildings were trembling, large cracks starting to form in their sides. Animals were going crazy, no doubt their more sensitive minds able to sense the magical disruptions causing all of this; whipping them into a near frenzy. Even as they ran roman watched as several horses reared up, their front legs swinging wildly as their threw their riders to the ground before running off. Dogs and cats filled the streets, each of them howling and barking as they ran for their lives; leaping over fallen debris or people. The sky was filled with the frantic and almost deafening shrieks as hundreds possibly thousands of birds filled the air; having been startled from their nearby perches. 

They were in sight of the gates now. Other people had had similar ideas all of them running towards the gates which thankfully had been left open, allowing them to leave the village. Behind them roman could hear the sounds of pandemonium. People screaming, stone and earth cracking and giving way, the deafening roar of animals having been driven to the point of near insanity from the magical disruptions they could feel and were now stampeding away from. He tried to block it out, tried to prevent his mind from recalling the last time he’d heard and been in such chaos; to block the memories of the night his tribe had been wiped out. 

They’d barely made it passed the gates when suddenly it all stopped. In the blink of an eye the ground became still, not gradually or slowly but as instantly as when someone would light a candle and illuminate a dark room. Doing his best to get out of the way of the still stampeding animals roman staggered, his legs wobbly and shaking with fatigue and pain. Even as he managed to limp ver to a tree, grabbing the branches for support he was dimly away of something warm and wet dripping down his injured leg; no doubt blood from having torn the stitches. His sides ached from all the running he’d done and he felt his arm shaking slightly from fatigue as he slumped against the tree exhausted. 

================

He was starting to wake. Slowly and with great effort Nicholas managed to open his eyes; the site of worn and smoothed grey stone meeting his gaze. How whole body was in pain, feeling as though he’d fallen from a great height. Each movement made him wince, his muscles throbbing angrily at being asked to move. Nevertheless he managed to sit up, his arms going to his chest as a sharp pain lanced through his ribs. He was surrounded by near darkness again. Dimly he could make out a few forms around him; of large stone stalagmites jutting up from the floor that he was sitting on. 

Slowly getting to his feet Nicholas moved, his legs seeming to have a mind of their own as they carried him towards the impaled mage. As he neared her he felt his heart jolt with a mixture of fear and sadness as the mage moved, her head coming to slowly look sideways at him. For a moment their eyes met, hers filled with pain, fear and sadness; with his filled with confusion and uncertainty. Slowly she managed to open her mouth, her voice horse and cracked and no doubt each word making her feel incredible pain. “do….you know….what you’ve….done? The oceans…..will dry…...the village will….fail…...you're fault…..all……..your…...f...fault.”

Nicholas remained silent, watching as the woman’s eyes rolled back, the last of her life ebbing away. For a moment, despite the opposite sides they stood opposed on Nicholas found himself grateful for being here. No one should die alone, and even if this woman had been trying to kill him…...he could be there for her in the last seconds of-

But his thoughts were abruptly short as a monstrous roar of rage ripped through the strange underwater cavern her was in. Instantly he jerked, spinning in the direction the roar had come from. A split second later he ducked, narrowly managing to avoid a long slimy tendril as it shot towards him. He grunted, his muscles protesting as they again found themselves straining to do what he needed them too. Behind him the tendril collided with the stalagmit the mage had been impaled on. Instantly the ancient stone crumbled, the mage’s lifeless body being thrown into the darkness. 

Scrambling back to his feet Nicholas turned watching as a monstrous hulking form emerged from the darkness. Nicholas felt his blood run cold as he found himself staring at some kind of towering monstrous crab. The monster was huge, easily the size of a three story tower. Its claws were jagged and evil, looking as though they could snap trees in half with no effort. The shell of the crab was jagged and sharp, with large spikes jutting upwards making it look like a truly nasty chunk of armor.

even as he stood there, staring dumbstruck at the impossible monster before him the large crab let out another bellowing roar more tendrils emerging from the darkness and launching towards him. he moved instinctively, dodging, ducking and weaving around the tendrils as he began to run. Behind him the creature roared again as it began to follow him, each step making the entire cave tremble and shake. He didn't know where he was going. He didn't know if the tunnels he was charging down lead somewhere or if they would end abruptly and lead him to his death. All he knew was that he was faster than the monster and if he was lucky he'd be able to outrun it. And so he moved as fast as he could, running down the natural cave corridors as fast as he could. 

behind him the monster continued to roar, occasionally launching tendrils at him which he managed to outrun. He'd just turned down a new corridor when the ground beneath his feet shuddered violently. A second later he yelped, as he felt something sweep his legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground. He tried to get back to his feet, but this proved to be impossible as the ground began ti shake and tremble more as the monster drew closer to him. His mind seemed to shut down, making him curl into a ball in fear as he waited for the monster to be upon him. 

But that moment never came. Instead a gentle wind picked up around him,bringing with it a feeling of soft warmth and the scent of wildflowers. Chancing a look Nicholas moved, lifting his head to look in the direction the wind was coming from. For what felt like the hundredth time today his eyes widened. Standing between him and the monster was a being that seemed to defy the darkness around them. Her skin glowed a strange swirling light like one might see reflecting off of water. She hovered in the air between the monster and him, her light keeping the monstrous creature from coming any closer. After a few seconds she spoke, her voice soft and calming, but firm and absolute. “Begone abomination, you'll find no meal here.”

The light emanating from her began to grow in intensity. But the monstrous karkino ignored the strange lady’s words. Instead the gigantic crab let out another bellowing roar, one of its claws coming up as if to bat the glowing woman aside like a fly. Even as the claw rushed towards her the woman remained still, her only movement that of her raising her hand to meet the sweeping gesture with her own. Instantly Karkinos’s giant claw came to a stop the moment it collided with the woman’s hand. Again karkinos bellowed in rage, its second claw coming up, hoping to catch the woman off guard. 

The attack however was futile as the woman’s glow became stronger, accompanied by a loud whistling ringing sound that was almost piercing in tone. A second later beams of light erupted from her body, arcing like lightning and striking karkinos’s chest and face, making the large crab reel backwards, a pained roar erupting from its mouth to shake the caverns. More arcs lanced outwards, stroking karkinos in the shoulder and legs, making it again cry out as suddenly the monster lord found itself being pushed backwards.

The whistling tone increased, as did the light streaming from the woman who was now almost completely consumed by the blinding light. Brining his hands up to shield his face Nicholas struggled against the onslaught of light and sound. The sound alone was enough to almost drive him to his knees. The sound was deafening, almost maddeningly loud. A single tone that seemed to press against him, making him feel it not just in his chest but every bone in his body, making them vibrate from its force. The light was a whole other issue, at first it had been warm and pleasant, but now it had become something else. Now it was blinding and cruel, even blinding him if he closed his eyes as it surrounded him and seemed to consume him.

Suddenly the woman spoke, his voice again calm and cool but impossibly firm, leaving no room for argument or resistance. “BEGONE.”

it was like an explosion went off. In front of him, barely visible through the blinding sea of light Nicholas watched as karkinos staggered, losing its struggle with the woman of light. A second later a wave seemed to slam into Nicholas’s hunkered form, knocking him backwards and making him stagger. Somewhere in the blinding light and deafening noise karkinos roared again in defiance. For Nicholas it was all too much. Everything was happening to fast. He had no idea where he was, what was going on, or how to get out of here. He clamped his eyes shut, his hands coming up to cover his ears in an attempt to shut out everything that was happening around him. He wanted to go home, wanted to pull roman close and kiss him, wanted to feel roman’s strong arms holding him and keeping him safe. Painfully Nicholas felt his heart clench; would he ever see roman again? Was there even a way out of this cave system? And if there was, what lay beyond. He’d been pulled through a magical portal and quite possibly dragged into the supposid monster realm. Did he even have a hope of surviving long enough to figure out how to get back to his own world? All around him he could hear the sounds of battle. 

The head splittingly loud roars let out by karkinos as it fought against the mysterious woman. Occasionally what could only be described as the sound of waves crashing against hard solid stone met his ears. The light was really getting to him, having become so bright that it almost didn't matter if his eyes were open or closed; it was all as if he was looking directly into the sun. pathetically he huddled there; alone, afraid, scared and uncertain of what was happening. 

\---------------

Slowly Roman made his way through the now ruined village. Dozens of homes and buildings had collapsed in on themselves, their simple construction having been no match for the earthquake they’d just suffered.. The roads were cracked, and just about every stall setup along the sides of the streets had been knocked over; their wears now laying in the streets for anyone to take. People were starting to emerge from their shelters; those who hadn't fleed were slowly starting to reappear, dusting themselves off as they came. For the most part he ignored them; he was on a mission. Slowly his picked his way through the rubble of the village. A few times he paused, stopping to help someone get to their feet; his muscles starting to strain from all the use they’d undergone in such a short amount of time. But he couldn't stop, not till he was it with his own eyes. 

He continued to move, making his way slowly through the destroyed village, heading towards the village center where the damage seemed to be the worst. He’d expected this. The moment Nicholas and the mage maintaining the spell had vanished into the portal. He’d known the damage would be bad. In the back of his mind there was a small comfort, with this much damage word would quickly reach the king who would no doubt send troops and aid to the small village in rebuilding. 

The streets were almost impassable now. Many of the larger buildings that had once lined the city center had collapsed in the quake; the stone bricks that made of the wall now clogging and infesting the streets. Groaning slightly roman stopped, taking a moment to weigh his options. He could try to climb over the stones and bricks, but even as that thought occurred to him his leg throbbed angrily. Just from the way it throbbed and pulsed angrily roman could tell he’d torn the stitches he’d gotten only a day ago. Shaking his head to himself roman continued to scan the area, looking for another way to cross the destruction that spread out before him. However, even after several minutes of searching he'd found no other way.

Sure he could duck into a side street and see if there was an easier path through them. But it was just as likely, maybe even more so that the back allies would be packed with rubble or still fleeing villagers. Sighing to himself he made up his mind, the muscles in his arms and legs groaning as they again began to move. It was slow going, climbing up onto the rumble pile while keeping his balance was almost as difficult as battling any monster. In the back of his mind he did his best to ignore the sick feeling o warm blood oozing down the back of his thigh and calf. He had more important things to worry about. 

It took him almost 15 minutes to cross the rubble strewn street. Luckily he managed to stay upright the whole time. But his feeling of hope almost instantly vanished as he reached his destination. Roman felt his insides clench and drop with sorrow as he looked out over what had once been the village center. His guess had been right, the main chamber they'd been fighting in underground had been located under the city square. As a result when the chamber had collapsed so had the square.

A few yards in front of him the streets dropped off, vanishing into a sheer cliff where the roof of the cave had given out. Far below the large chunks of street and buildings sat in the water; the waves already working to wear them down. With his last dwindling rays of hope he searched the rocks and debris below. Perhaps….by some grace of the gods…….

But his hopes were for not. There was no sign of Nicholas. For a moment that reality seemed to sink in on him, hurting him more thoroughly than any arrow or blade ever could. Unconsciously roman’s hand came up to rest over his eyes, doing his best to keep big tears from welling up in them. Nicholas was gone.

\--------

The sounds of battle had stopped now, so to had the high pitched whistling. Now the only sound he could hear was his heartbeat and that of his own breathing. Willing himself to be brave Nicholas opened one eye, squinting at the blurred and fuzzy world around him. For several seconds his eyes scanned the dark blurry world. But a moment later his eyes widened as they found something, a white glowing form only a few feet away. As if the glowing form knew he was looking at it, it moved slowly drawing closer to him, its glow illuminating the caves around them.

“Rise Notatisuna. There is no need to be frightened.”

The being’s words did little to reassure him. Instead he backed up, scrambling several feet away before turning to look at the strong being before him. In truth it looked like a woman, her body swathed in some kind of cerimonial looking robe while her face was covered by a white veil. Behind her her long hair seemed to billow out, waving and dancing in the air as if the long blonde strands were underwater.

“Who are you? What do you want?”

The being looked at him, remaining silent for several moment before speaking, it’s voice carrying an odd tone to it; as if it were singing slightly. “You do not belong here in such a place Notatisuna. Let us return you to your own world.”

Nicholas’s eyes widened at those words. Could this being truly take him home? But a moment later his eyes narrowed. “How do I know I can trust you.”

The being spoke softly. “You must have faith in the light.”

Nicholas bit his lip. He wasn't really in a position to say no. if this thing before him now was truly powerful enough to take on Karkinos and could return him back home and to roman…..should he really be questioning it? Biting his lip again he spoke. “O….ok.”

The lady nodded and shifted, her hand reaching out for him to take. “Take my hand, and do not let go until I tell you to.” 

Doing as he’d been told Nicholas moved, slowly taking the woman’s hand, noting how it felt warm to the touch. A split second later the world changed around them. The ground seemed to drop away, giving him the sickening sensation of falling. Gone was the cave they’d been in, now they were surrounded only by darkness, the only light coming from the woman. “Wh….who are you?”

The woman looked at him. “I am that which many seek but all will encounter. I am Domina Fati.”

Nicholas shook his head. He’d never heard that name before. “I’m sorry, I don't…..”

But the woman spoke over him, her cool soft voice showing no hint of emotion. “It matters not. All mortals seek to know me, in time you will too.”

Nicholas frowned at her words. “What does that mean?”

The woman didn't respond, instead remaining silent. Suddenly the darkness vanished, withering and thinning away until…..

Nicholas gasped, her braining jolting into a panic as he found himself hanging in the air. And impossibly long distance below him he could see pinpricks of light dotting the landscape. Next to him the woman spoke, her voice changing and holding a slight tone of sadness in it. “Would that I could tell you of all that is to come. But sadly I cannot, no mortal may know to much of their own fate. But I promise you this Notatisuna. We will meet again. And in time my name will come to be know by you.”

Nicholas frowned again. Something about the woman’s words. They sounded…..like either a warning or a threat. But he had no time to respond as the land far below them began to move, suddenly rushing up at them. In the blink of an eye one of the pinpricks of light rush at them, allowing them to see the source of it; a city. Nicholas felt his eyes widen as he found himself hanging in the air above Karnokus. Nicholas felt his breath catch in his lungs as he surveyed the small village. Dozens of buildings had crumbled and been reduced to rubble. The village square seemed to have collapsed, taking with it much of the open space it had once made up. 

Slowly the ground began to move again, almost lazily drifting upwards to meet them. As Nicholas felt his feet touch the ground the woman spoke. “Know this Notatisuna. I have saved you this once. But i cannot interfere again.”

Nicholas nodded slowly, understanding her words. “I’ll…...be more careful.”

The woman nodded. “You may let go now.”

Letting go of the woman’s hand Nicholas swayed as a slight sensation of dizziness washed over him. Slowly he looked around, finding that the woman had brought him to just outside the main gates of the city. “Than-”

But as he turned to thank the woman for his rescue he found that she had vanished, leaving him standing alone in the moonlight. 

\----------

Roman growled as he moved, grabbing one of the many bottles that lined the shelves of the bar. Wrenching the cork stopper from the bottle roman brought it to his lips. Outside he could hear people moving around, calling to each other and either celebrating when they got a response or wailing in anguish when they didn't. He’d saved the town. He’d done what was expected of him. He should have been out there helping them to clean up the village. Instead all he wanted to do was sit her alone and drink; which was exactly what he was doing. 

Taking another swig from the bottle roman growled again. The alcohol inside wasn't strong enough. Letting out a roar of rage he threw the bottle; a small hint of satisfaction flickering through him as it exploded in a shower of glass and liquid. But the satisfaction was short lived as again; unwelcome and unwanted in his mind the scene played over again. He’d been bus, occupied with a tendril that was doing it’s damnedest to crush him beinith it. One moment Nicholas had been behind him; and the next…….

Roman choked back a sob, instead busying himself with grabbing a new bottle from the shelf before taking a deep drink from it. This liquid burned and ached as it went down his throat; a good sign of how strong it was. He brought the bottle to his lips again, taking several large mouthfuls of the booze. He should have known better. He should have been prepared or expected something like this to happen. He should have made Nicholas go first. He should have been watching their flank. He should have reacted faster and done everything in his power to save Nicholas; instead of just standing there and watching as the boy had been pulled into the monster realm. Those thoughts whirled around him, filling him with pain and sadness and anger; with booze being the only way to quench those feelings. 

He should never had let Nicholas into the caves. The moment the boy had gotten free from his cell he should have told him to run and find the guards. Maybe if he’d done that, none of this would have happened. Maybe….. Maybe……

Roman’s hands shook from the weight of those maybes; shaking so much that the glass bottle slipped from his hand and hit the counter, shattering into a thousand pieces and releasing it’s liquid contents onto the wooden bar. For a moment he sat there almost completely still, his mind suddenly blank and devoid of thought as he found himself staring down at his own reflecting in the amber liquid. Before he even knew what was happening he was on his feet; the stool he’d been sitting on toppling over with a clatter. Suddenly his sword was in his hands, his muscles thrumming with power as a roar of rage erupted from his throat. 

A second later the bar splintered; the old, worn wood breaking and splintering apart as his sword collided with them; once, twice, three times. His arms ached with the effort of each blow; but he ignored the pain. Over and over his sword struck the wooden bar, each blow breaking more of the wood; splitting it under the force of each strike. Still he continued to swing his sword into the counter, the image of his own reflection in the alcohol spurring him on driving him to lash out and attack the wooden bar until his arms were shaking. It happened after a particularly vicious strike; when he went to pull the blade from the wooden husk of the bar he found that it had become lodged in place. Grunting in anger roman moved to pull the blade out, only for his grip to slip from exhaustion.

A second later his legs gave over, sending him to his knees where he stayed. His sides heaved as he struggled to breath, tears now freely flowing down the sides of his face. 

“Roman……”

His eyes widened as the sound of Nicholas’s voice reach his ears, forcing more tears from his eyes as the weight of his failure came crashing down around him. 

“I’m sorry Nicholas.”

Those words seemed to confirm his feelings. Making his failure as true as if it was set in stone. He repeated them over and over again, his hands coming up to grip his hair in a combination of sorrow and anger. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry”

He should never have brought the boy here. He should have gone somewhere, anywhere else. Maybe if he’d never even let the boy accompany him; maybe things would have been different. Maybe…..

“ROMAN…..”

The boy’s voice was getting louder now, calling to him; accusing him. It was his fault, everything was his fault. He wasn't a hunter, he was unworthy of the title. He was a disgrace, a failure, a……

“ROMAN!”

A second later he jerked, the feeling of a pair of arms wrapping around his shoulders making him startle and turn. A moment later his mind went blank, truly and impossibly empty as he found himself staring at something impossible. Behind him was Nicholas, the boy having knelt down and was now hugging him from behind. For a full ten seconds roman wondered if it was some kind of trick. Maybe he’d died and it was Nicholas’s ghost that was hugging him? Maybe he was in a dream and he was starting to wake up? Maybe the evil mayor had survived and any second now a fireball would kill him and this was all a distraction? Maybe…..

But those thoughts ended as Nicholas moved, his arm coming up to pull roman’s head against his chest; the sound of the boy’s heartbeat filling his ears. “Shhhhhh. It’s ok. I’ve got you. I’m ok. I’m here.”

Those words undid something in him. As a hunter he had been trained to keep his feelings in check. They had no part of the hunt and only served as a distraction. But right there in that moment they came flooding out of him. With an almost desperate need he grabbed Nicholas’s arm, in part to make sure the boy was real and in part to keep him there. Tears again streamed down his face as he found himself repeating the same apology over and over; each one met with a soft and gentle “It’s ok.” 

He wasn't sure how long they stayed like this. It could have been minutes, or hours, maybe even days; he simply didn't know. Time lost all meaning to him. All he cared about was Nicholas, the boy holding him and soothing him. The boy he’d watched vanish into the monster world and be lost forever. The boy who’d somehow returned and was now holding him. The boy he loved. And now that boy had returned to him, as if by some miracle. All of his training should have made him question it. Should have made him tackle Nicholas and demand and explanation. And yet right here, right now; he simply didn't care. He didn't care what force had returned Nicholas to him. Didn't care if it was a work of the brightest divine of the darkest evils. All he cared about was that Nicholas was back. 


	5. Chapter 5

“So….what's gonna happen now?”

Pausing for a moment Roman turned, lookin back at Nicholas who had stopped walking and was looking back down the hill they’d hiked up. Below them the village of karnokus sat, still battered and broken from the quake that had ripped through it. Sighing softly Roman spoke. “I sent a letter to the nearest hunter outpost.They'll dispatch a few teams here under the guise of helping to rebuild while subtly they'll make sure karkino doesn't have any remaining lackies here. After that…...I don't know.”

After a moment Nicholas turned to look at him, a faint expression of worry covering his face. “do…..do you think what the mayor said….about karkinos keeping the waters fertile, was true?”

Roman shrugged, moving so he was standing next to Nicholas. “I don't know. True, monster lords have some influence over our world. But…..there's no way to know how deep his influence goes. For all we know the waters were always fertile and karkinos was just credit for it.”

Nicholas remained silent for a moment before speaking. “so….it's just as likely…..that the waters will become barren?”

Roman nodded. “yes. Its possible. But that is not for us to worry about. We did what we had to do. Who knows how many lives have been sacrificed over the years. Putting a stop to that is all I need to focus on.”

Nicholas again remained silent, continuing to look down at the village. He and Roman had spent the last week helping the shaken villagers. Roman had helped by tending to the wounded or helping to hand out food; things that were easy and would allow his leg time to heal properly. Nicholas had helped in other ways, working to help round up the animals that had fled in a panic or building quick temporary shelters from those who had lost their homes in the quake.

At first Nicholas had felt guilty, wanting to tell the villagers what had happened beneath their feet. But Roman had sworn him to secrecy, saying that an average man wouldnt understand about monsters and magic and sacrifice but would understand the ground shaking and opening and then two people claiming they'd had a hand in it. In the end he'd agreed with what Roman had said, and they'd kept quiet about what had happened.

Turning away from the village Nicholas looked to Roman. “So….what happens now?”

Roman shrugged. “I wanna put as much distance between me and this village as I can. We'll go north. There's a hunter’s outpost a week's journey from here in a town called Mi’oc. We can see if they have any contracts available. Sound good?”

Nicholas nodded, anything that earned them more money sounded good. 

Falling silent Roman turned his attention towards the trail they were following. In truth he wanted to say more. He wanted to say how Nicholas’s story of the mysterious glowing being had worried him. He’d heard of such beings before; although they were certainly raw. Mages who ventured into the monster world occasionally told tales of such beings, often time catching them in battle with the monstrous inhabitants of the monster realm. But the appearance of this being alone wasn't what worried; No it was what the being had said that worried Roman so much. 

The way the being had spoken, it sounded like it had plans. Plans that were about to start unfolding and taking shape. Biting his lip Roman looked back at Nicholas. He hated having to keep secrets from Nicholas; but he didn't want to scare the boy with only implications and no real proof. No, he’d wait; Mi’oc has one of the largest libraries maintained by hunters. He’d comb through the old tomes, try to find any record or info about the mysterious being of light Nicholas had encountered. And then……..

Sighing to himself Roman stopped, turning to look at Nicholas who stopped and looked back at him. Setting aside everything he was feeling he moved, pulling Nicholas against him before pressing his lips gently against Nicholas’s who moaned softly into the warm kiss. “I love you Nicholas.”

Nicholas moaned softly, groaning in lose as Roman pulled away; ending the kiss. “I love you to Roman.”

For now he’d enjoy this. He’d savor having Nicholas back. He’d worry about the rest of it later. For now, he had all he wanted. His love, his sword, and a wide open road leading to who knew what adventures. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wanna thank anyone who bothered to read the whole of this story.
> 
> im not really sure what possessed me to post it all here.   
> maybe because, to me its an important link in my writing history.   
> When i was writing this i found myself wanting to write more.  
> to truly give writing my all. 
> 
> so to me, this story is a symbol of when i started to take my writing a bit more seriously. 
> 
> anyways, thank you for reading my story.   
> i hope you enjoyed it.


End file.
